


behind the lights

by theneverending



Category: Fifth Harmony (Band)
Genre: Acting, Alternate Universe, Angst, Awards, Break Up, Celebrities, Clubbing, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, Fluff, France (Country), Mentions of Smut, Paparazzi, Pining, Sadness, Some parts are in French but they're easy translations, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-13
Updated: 2015-06-19
Packaged: 2018-03-30 07:51:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 31,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3928846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theneverending/pseuds/theneverending
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lauren Jauregui is a highly renowned actress and has seen many fake relationships throughout her career, but she never thought she would be pinned up with her female costar, Camila Cabello. This wouldn't be an issue if Lauren didn't think Camila was annoying and a bit overshadowing, but nothing is perfect in an unperfect world, and Lauren might be harboring some deeper feelings for the teen idol.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Deals

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all ! This is going to be my first full length Camren fic. I thought I should write one because for one I love Camren, and I noticed that there aren't a lot of elongated fan fictions for Camren on Ao3. I will be writing this during my downtime in exam week, so please don't crucify me if chapters take a while to get out. I love you all, and I really hope you like this.
> 
> UPDATE: I recently had an issue with someone stealing this and putting it on Wattpad. I have posted this on Wattpad myself, and my username there is prettycamren. Anyone else claiming to own this story is a liar, and if you see someone who has posted it elsewhere, please don't hesitate to let me know. Thank you.

Conference rooms were always particularly boring, from the vomit stained rainbow carpets to the boring white, cement walls, Lauren couldn't help but feel like she was in prison when she attended various meetings. A table elongated the room, black chairs pushed in only halfway, and a run down fan whirred in the corner of the room. Lauren sighed, glancing over at her manager, Ally, who looked extremely pale under the fluorescent light, or maybe she was just going white from the awful stench of moldy books and moth balls. Ally tapped her french manicured fingernails on the sticky surface of the white table, and she exhaled heavily, obviously annoyed.

"Camila and her manager were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago," Ally said impatiently, averting her eyes to the clock above a water cooler, eying the clock as it ticked slowly.

"I told you she was unprofessional," Lauren retorted, crossing her arms over her exposed abdomen, "Every day on set, Camila shows up late. Her manager always has some sort of excuse, like she's just a young star trying to enjoy the tropes of Hollywood, but the movie is almost halfway through. You think the director would get onto her by now," Lauren huffed, glad that she was able to vent about her less than perfect coworker.

Lauren had been in the celebrity business for as long as she can remember. On her first birthday, Lauren's mother put her in a baby beauty pageant, claiming that her daughter had eyes bluer than a Ralph Lauren model, and deserved to be in the spotlight. Lauren won the competition fair and square, and at that moment, her acting career took off.

At age thirteen, Lauren was cast as a leading role in her own Disney show about a teenager who was a spy, but also doubled as a normal high school student. The show had a long run, and by the time Lauren was seventeen, the creators ended it on a lighthearted note, leaving the her character, Angelina, to fall in love with her male best friend. 'Double Time' had broke the barrier for Lauren, and four years later, she had twelve number one blockbuster films following her name like a crazed super fan.

Her latest sure fire hit was titled 'Girl Meets Girl', which was one of the first openly gay friendly teen romance films to be expected to smash the box office. When Lauren had gotten offered the deal, she immediately accepted (she barely even read the terms and conditions, that's how pumped she was), and at that time, she was unsure of who her other leading lady would be.

Camila Cabello was an up and rising star who annihilated the Billboard charts with her number one single, Taken Home. Before Lauren could even blink, the eighteen year old had turned into America's sweetheart, and all of the cameras that weren't tailing Lauren's ass were now chasing after Camila. Lauren had to admit that she was a fan of Camila's music at first, but after she had given her debut album, Bows and Breaks, a listen, she decided the young girl was too immature and sappy for her taste.

Shortly following the album release, Lauren found out that Camila would be playing the role of Ophelia Undine, a headstrong character who enjoyed wearing black and dating people who were unfaithful. Lauren was acting as Victoria Sophronia, a sultry Southern Belle who was a sheltered farmer's daughter and uber virginal. The characters were completely archetypical, and the storyline was as well, but since it was the first real lesbian film to have larger than life celebrities starring in it, the typicality was overseen.

Camila basically had her entire success handed to her by having one catchy pop song that the radio still overplayed, and Lauren had to admit, she was a bit jealous. Lauren doubted that the cutesy starlet had to suffer through hours of drama classes at the age of ten, or that she had to stay up until three in the morning to get a shot perfect for a show on the Disney channel. Lauren despised how easily the stars had seemed to fall on top of Camila's shoulders, while the stars struggled to reach back to Lauren until she had gotten her big break.

Just as Ally was getting ready to dial Camila's manager and give her an earful on how late they were, the door swung open, and the waves of a high pitched giggle was echoing off the prison-like walls of the conference room. Ally scowled at Camila, and Lauren did the same, narrowing her eyes at the girls high waisted jeans that made her butt look better than humanly possible, and a cute crop top that Lauren herself had been admiring the other day.

"Sorry we're late," Normani, Camila's manager, said through the straw of her Sonic straw, "We had to stop somewhere and get food, Camila was just doing a shoot for Vogue."

"It was exciting," Camila exclaimed, raising her eyebrows with her smile as she sat down in the seat directly across from Lauren.

Ally didn't break her pissed off expression, breaking her eye contact with Normani to pick up her cellphone and dial the number of the executive who had called them all to order here today. After the other party hadn't shown up for ten minutes, the bald man claimed that he had better things to waste his time doing, and told Ally to call him when the Cabello crew arrived.

Minutes later, the big time executive of personal relationships in the eyes of the public entered the conference room for the second time. He didn't look too happy himself, plopping down in the seat at the head of the table without a word.

"I have a deal I would like to propose," The man said, clearing his throat. Lauren had met with Harvey before, when she had starred in a sappy romance movie alongside teen heart throb Justin Bieber, Harvey arranged a relationship between them, which later had been 'broken up' when Justin had met a certain Selena Gomez. Lauren had to act like she was heartbroken, tweeting sad song quotes from her Twitter and breaking down in interviews when people asked about the split. All in all, it gave both of the careers a boost, and Lauren thought that all those awful reaction pictures of her crying had been worth it in the end.

"Most costars of major upcoming films, like Twilight, the Hunger Games, and others, it's pretty obvious that dating rumors are started by the public, and are later confirmed true," Harvey started, and Lauren already didn't like where he was going with this, "It shouldn't be different this time around, especially since this movie is a huge deal to the gay community."

"You're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting, are you?" Ally asked, her face turning from stern to shocked in a matter of seconds.

Harvey shrugged, "If you think I'm suggesting that Camila and Lauren should sign a contract to be a PR relationship for the benefit of the movie, then yes, you would be correct," Harvey replied, and then the whole room went silent.

"No," Lauren responded, "I refuse, I'm not doing this."

"But Mrs. Jauregui," Harvey piqued his eyebrow, leaving his bald forehead to fill with wrinkles, "You must comply, it's in the contract you signed."

"Bullshit!" Lauren exclaimed, "Show me where I signed that you could place me in a relationship without my consent."

Harvey opened his accordion file, sifting through pages upon pages of white paper that contained top secret information about fellow celebrities. Harvey stopped, swiftly pulled out a familiar packet, and slid it across the sticky table to Lauren. Lauren brought the contract closer, clasping the thick pages with her trembling, sweaty hands.

Lauren scanned the documents, and her eyes landed upon an article that mentioned PR could be conducted with whomever the executives pleased, and by signing the contract, Lauren would be signing away the freedom of her single life to the public.

"It won't be that bad, Lauren," Ally put her hand on Lauren's back in an attempt to calm the situation, "Think about what you'll become, the gay community will worship you like a queen, and by pretending to date Camila, you could change our society for the better. That's what you've always wanted, right? To put a smile on someone else's face, and touch their hearts?" Ally asked in a hushed tone, and Lauren thought that she always knew the right thing to say.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Lauren made eye contact with her future fake girlfriend, and then she glared into Harvey's blue eyes, and said, "I guess I have no choice then, it's a done deal," Lauren obliged.

The corners of Harvey's lips upturned into a wicked smirk that reminded Lauren of the joker, and he shuffled the papers he was holding in front of him, and began to go over schedules and appearances and how the public relationship was going to play out. Lauren had gone through the main scheme of public relationships too many times to count, whether it had been for 'besties' or 'boyfriends', it was all the same. She would get randomly photographed with her counterpart, they'd arrive to award shows together, and would publicly exchange flirty tweets back and forth. The process was an endless loop, and the public was dumb enough to buy it every time.

"A calender has been worked up to alert you of events and appearances you will need to attend," Harvey said, handing Normani a piece of white card stock paper, and a duplicate to Ally.

Lauren leaned over Ally's shoulder to get a better look at the boring Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The calender was labeled hashtag Camren, because media outlets loved to give celebrity couples cute mash ups of their names. Several events were typed in plain font, like the movie premieres, several different award shows, and even first outings together. Like always, the relationship was strategically planned out from start to finish, and for once, the duration was quite long.

"So dating rumors are effective immediately? So like, right now?" Camila queried, lifting her perfectly waxed eyebrow, and even though Lauren thought Camila was uber annoying, she had to admit that she was absolutely stunning.

"Yes," Harvey nodded, "Seeding should begin by the seven o'clock celebrity news stations. Paparazzi have already been called to the building, and you will leave within the next ten minutes looking like giddy teenage girls with elementary school crushes. Act, put on a show, do what you do best, Lauren," Harvey said in a sad attempt to boost Lauren's spirit about the current situation.

Camila clapped her hands together, turning her attention over to Lauren, "Let's go have ourselves a field day, then."

After an awkward and standoffish trip down the elevator, Lauren mentally prepared herself to walk through the large steel doors and be faced with her new reality. Cheers from loyal fans and muffled chatter could be heard from the lobby of the conference building.

"You ready?" Camila asked, holding her dainty hand out to Lauren.

Lauren sighed, rolling her eyes slightly as she enveloped her hand into Camila's, "No."

Normani pushed open the door, letting Lauren and Camila fly under her arm and out into the open. Now it was open season: the fans screamed even louder than before, and thousands of lights were flashing into the poor starlet's eyes. Lauren shielded her face with her free hand, silently regretting telling Dinah, her body guard, to take a day off. But then again, she never expected to be holding hands with Camila Cabello.

Voices from fans blurred together, and Lauren stopped for a few selfies, and Camila signed someone's exposed chest. After a few minute interaction with their separate fan bases, Ally began to usher the girls away from the crowd when the paparazzi began asking invasive questions, to which Normani answered that they had no comment for.

Thankfully a limo had pulled up, and the driver practically pushed the two celebrities inside, letting their managers follow. The driver slammed the door behind them, and ran back to his seat, and pulled away from the scene as fast as legally possible.

Normani motioned for the driver to roll the partition up, and waited for it to completely shut before she spoke.

"Seems like the media has already gotten their grubby little hands on the story," Normani shook her head with disbelief, "I guess Harvey wasn't kidding."

"Harvey doesn't fuck around," Lauren replied, and Ally shot the same glare she always did when Lauren used 'inappropriate language'. Lauren finished her statement, "Harvey gets shit done."

Camila tapped her acrylic fingernails on the screen of the newest iPhone model, "Look, we're already a trending topic on twitter!" Camila exclaimed, shoving her cellular device into Lauren's face.

Lauren snatched the phone out of Camila's hand and tapped on the first trending topic. Suddenly, assorted tweets from both of their fan bases popped up, news article headlines were being published, and photos of them outside of the executive building were being shown. They were claimed to be leaving for business reasons regarding the movie, and while Lauren knew that was bullshit, the public didn't, because the public takes in everything the media fits them with an open mouth.

"How cute, people seem to be loving us," Lauren claimed, glazing her eyes over thousands of support tweets, some of which had already changed their twitter handles to something regarding Camren.

"This relationship is going to do wonders for you, Camila," Normani said, gripping Camila's shoulder excitedly, "You guys are going to be an ultimate power couple, you just wait."

"I'm so excited," Camila admitted, her voice raising an octave to support her claim, "Aren't you, Lauren?"

Lauren flicked her eyes up at Camila, and huffed out a monotone, "Just ecstatic."


	2. Hypothesis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so bad please bear with me.

"Isn't it too hot with all that black on?" Lauren queried, pushing a non offensive southern accent, "My daddy always said that dark colors attract the sun, and when you're out here farmin', that's the last thing you want to do."

Camila shrugged, squinting her eyes and sitting atop a bale of hay, "It's part of my aesthetic, life is too short to not wear black all the time."

"It's such a boring shade, you need color in your life," Lauren replied, plucking a rose from the bush she was sitting next to, "Pink is such a lively color, it would look so beautiful on you," Lauren said, placing the flower daintily behind Camila's ear.

Camila blushed, averting her gaze from the beautiful Southern sweetheart. She rested her head on her shoulder, letting her dark hair shield her face just enough that she appeared mysterious and dark, but underneath it all, her rosy cheeks could still be seen. Lauren wondered if the redness of her cheeks was purely a great acting strategy, or an indication that maybe Camila returned some actual feelings toward Lauren.

Or, you know, she could be experiencing a heat stroke.

"Cut!" The director ordered, and Camila flipped her messy waves off of her face and down her back. "Good run today, this one might be a keeper. I'll put it through editing, and my people will call your people to see if we need to re shoot. It's a wrap for tonight."

Relief overflowed Lauren's body as she stood up from the grassy spot on the ground. She could tell that there were going to be grass stains on her butt, because it had rained the night before, and apparently barns aren't the best place to be after a hefty storm. Lauren was thankful that the costume designer had created several copies of the dress, preparing in advance for the worst that might come.

"You're really good," Camila blurted out, stripping the leather jacket off, "I feel like I've grown up with you, you know? It's weird to be working with you."

Lauren gave Camila a blank stare, and while she was flattered by the compliment, she really didn't want to give her any satisfaction. Lauren was being a bitch, and she knew it.

Camila bit her lip, and tried again, "Normani bought frozen yogurt, we were going to eat it and watch Clueless while my makeup artist removes all of this gunk off of my face. I didn't know how sticky all this makeup could get under the sun." Camila joked.

"I would, but I can't. I have to try on dresses tonight for a ball that legalizes gay dolphins or something. We're supposed to attend it together this Sunday, remember?" Lauren asked, her voice rubbing off in a rude tone, "You better get your dress soon, the theme is neutral colors, so don't show up in one of those tour outfits you wear," Lauren remarked, envisioning the sparkly flapper dresses that were cut off just the right length to see the beginning of Camila's butt. Not that she was watching her tour videos or anything.

"I'm getting mine tomorrow," Camila replied, "How about you go black, and you go white? I think it would fit our personalities in the public eye," Camila said, and Lauren sensed some serious shade.

Lauren scowled, ignoring the last comment, "We have to arrive together, so don't be too late." Lauren fired, turning on her heel to walk away, but Ally was blocking her from making any progress.

"We have to leave, now," Ally ordered, turning her cell phone around to face Lauren, "Mildred said she'd take us early since shooting was smooth today. Let's go get this over with." Lauren obliged, following Ally through the grassy fields, and away from Camila. 

# ☾

 

"Wow I love it," Lauren said in a monotone voice, admiring the smock in the mirror, "Do you think you have anything else?" Lauren asked, and Mildred nodded, walking away from the dressing room.

When the door shut behind the portly woman, Ally met Lauren's eyes in the mirror and commented, "You look like one of those obese circus clowns. There is no way in hell I'm letting you wear that," Ally said, pushing her thick rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Is Mildred on crack lately?" Lauren asked, letting the tent like dress fall off her body, and she kicked it off to the side like the piece of trash it was, "If I'm going to be debuting my new relationship, I need to look on point, because this is going to be iconic. It's going to change the world," Lauren claimed, throwing her arms out like a diva.

"I agree, this is going to be a huge moment for everyone, and if you walk onto that red carpet looking like you're wearing a fat suit, it's going to follow you for the rest of your career," Ally warned, her eyes widening with worry behind her glasses.

Lauren opened her mouth the respond, but Mildred burst through the door with a black, slinky dress thrown over her shoulder. The seamstress smiled, popping the dress out to reveal its full potential.

"Try it on," Mildred ordered, tossing the sheer black dress at the underwear clad Lauren. Lauren obliged, slipping the thin fabric over her the curves of her body. She raised her hair off her neck to let Ally zip it up, and then Lauren took her first look in the mirror.

When Lauren met eyes with her reflection, she almost gasped. The dress was sheer everywhere except for her chest and her bottom area, and the parts that were covered were encrusted with tiny black sequins. Lauren admired how the dress accentuated the bumps and curves of her body, and while most dresses made her ashamed of her shapely figure, this dress enhanced it. The length of the dress skirted across Lauren's mid thigh, and while she felt the dress was a bit too risque for her good girl image, she realized that she had to grow up sometime.

"I love it, it's very 2001 Britney Spears, but instead of lace, it's sequins," Ally commented, tapping her manicured nail against the crevice of her chin, "What do you think, Lauren?"

Lauren spun in the dress, running her hand across the arch of her back, "We'll take this one. Ally, take care of the bill up front," Lauren demanded, and Ally was off.

Mildred bagged up the dress as Lauren put her day clothes and sunglasses back on. Even though Mildred's shop was a private venue, Lauren still didn't want to paparazzi to show up and exploit her fashion choice for the recycling of starving humpback whales, or whatever the charity gala was sponsoring.

Once Ally and Lauren had situated themselves in the limo, Ally pulled out her cell phone and started tapping the stylus wildly on the screen. "What are you doing?" Lauren queried, her tone aggravated because of the persistent clacking nose.

"Sending Camila a picture I snapped of you in that dress, she's going to love it!" Ally commented, giving her stylus one last tap before she set her phone down next to her. When she raised her attention back to Lauren, she noticed that her arms were crossed, and she had the signature 'I'm a pissed off celebrity and I'm about to have a temper tantrum' look on her face, "What? I can't even send your quote unquote girlfriend a picture of your dress?"

"You can do whatever you want," Lauren retorted passively. Ally grunted, her face screwing up with confusion,

"Why do you hate her so much? I get that she's unprofessional and a bit annoying at times, but no offense, so are you sometimes. You're being a giant baby about this whole ordeal, and it's getting really infuriating at times."

Lauren's mouth went agape, but she quickly shut it and said, "If you love her so fucking much why don't you be her manager instead?"

Ally's eyes widened at the hatred that Lauren was spewing, but then she came to a conclusion, "Oh my god, you like Camila," Ally stated blankly, a one side of her lips curling into a smirk.

"What?" Lauren shrieked, the pitch of her voice raising an octave, "You're fucking crazy Ally, I'm not a lesbian, and I am not in love with Camila."

Ally piqued her eyebrow, "I never said anything about love, you did, Lauren. I've been like your older sister for years now, and I can see right through you when you like someone. When you fell head over heels for Justin Bieber, I was the first one who called it, and I was also the only one who held you when you cried when you listened to Journals. Every single time," Ally replied, "You might not know it now, but I think you're finding dumb reasons to hate Camila because you actually like her."

Lauren rolled her eyes, scoffing loudly, but she honestly couldn't respond. Behind the pissed off expressions and the snide remarks, Lauren now had to ask herself the question she had been avoiding all along, could her feelings for Camila be deeper? Sure, Lauren spent a fair amount of time making love eyes at Camila on set, her flirtatious acting did come a bit too naturally, and honestly, sometimes Lauren caught herself staring at how wide Camila's hips were or how soft her skin felt beneath her fingertips and-

Lauren gasped, because Ally had cracked the code. Underneath the barricade of bitchy actions and emotions lead to a realization that scared Lauren to wit's end. If Ally was right, then that would mean Lauren had a crush, and said crush was on another girl, the same girl who she claimed she hated, and was also her fake girlfriend.

Lauren was fucked.


	3. Galas

"Chin up, Lauren," Clarissa warned for the hundredth time that night, practically seething as Lauren lifted her chin up, still sending texts to some of the celebrity acquaintances she hoped to run into at the gala.

Lauren had been in hair and makeup for twenty minutes now, and Clarissa had only put on her foundation. Of course, Lauren hadn't heard a peep from neither Camila or Normani, and she tried to strain her mind away from it as much as possible, because the only thing she allowed herself to think about was what Ally said a few days prior. Every time Lauren recalled Ally's proposition, she laughed to herself, and Clarissa made her usual frustrated face, but Lauren didn't care. What Ally suggested was pretty hilarious, and Lauren couldn't believe Ally would ever come up with the idea that Lauren liked Camila in her wildest dreams. But in the back of Lauren's mind, she caught herself asking what if?

What if she had come to admire Camila's high pitched giggle or her goofy attitude about the most serious things, or the way she blushed on set when Lauren said something mildly flirtatious? Of course, it was all acting, and Camila was a damn good actor for being able to flush red on command, but Lauren was left to linger on the what if.

"Sorry I'm late!" A sweet voice called out, "My dress had to get tailored," Camila said, and Lauren watched her stumble into the room, a backpack slung around her shoulder, masking the long sleeve, lace embroidered white dress that fit tightly around Camila's small curves.

Lauren bit the inside of her cheek, partly because Clarissa had moved on to adding blush to cheekbones, and also because she was afraid she might scream because that dress looked so good on Camila.

"Have a seat, you're next after I finish torturing Lauren," Clarissa commented, reaching for the eyeshadow palette.

Camila nodded, taking her cell phone out of her small backpack. Lauren was eternally glad, because she wanted nothing to do with Camila until it was deemed necessary. It seemed a bit harsh, but what Ally had mentioned really struck Lauren at her core, and she wasn't sure she could handle Camila with that dwelling over her.

After Clarissa put the finishing touches on Lauren's now flawless face, she moved onto Camila, ordering Lauren to style her own hair. Lauren didn't think much of it, because for almost every event she went to, she ended up straightening her hair to perfection all by herself.

An hour later, there was a sharp rap on the door, and Ally let herself in. "It's almost show time, girls, I hope you're ready," Ally said, clutching a small black clipboard tightly to her chest.

"Lauren's ready, but I have a few more curls to do with Camila," Clarissa commented, untangling the iron from Camila's sleek hair.

Ally rolled her eyes, "If it's not done within the next thirty seconds, I'll fire you."

Clarissa's eyes widened, "Yes, ma'am," She replied, swiftly putting the last few pieces of already wavy hair into the rod of the iron, letting the sharp curls spring loose. Clarissa finished at the twenty seven second mark, ordering Camila to get up with a pat on the back.

"Show time, ladies, the red carpet is ready for you," Normani said, piling up behind Ally at the door.

Ally and Normani ushered the girls through the back entrance, almost shoving them out into the garden like exterior of the building. Like clockwork, paparazzi and reporters turned to the girls, and while Lauren immediately put on her best diva face, Camila resembled a deer in headlights. Lauren grabbed her hand in a spur of the moment decision, and leaned suggestively close to her ear and whispered, "Stop looking so fucking scared and act like I just said something really sexual to you."

Camila caught on quickly, squinting her eyes and raising her perfectly brushed eyebrow up in a sexy sort of way. The paparazzi were shouting out crude questions and demands, but Lauren ignored them, and lead Camila to the middle of the red carpet, where the real circus show was about to happen.

Photographers were having a field day, snapping their cameras like the Queen of England had stepped onto the red carpet with dildos glued all over her body. Lauren was used to the flashing lights by now, but Camila seemed to be having some trouble with it.

"Lauren, smile sweetie!" A paparazzi yelled, and Lauren recognized him as her confirmed stalker.

"Who's Lauren?" The guy next to him asked, focused on Ariana Grande instead, who was getting interviewed by Ryan Seacrest.

"The one right there, with the huge ass and the slutty dress," The paparazzi responded, and Lauren felt her body rise with prickling sweat. Her cheeks burned red suddenly from all of the cameras being on her, but she swallowed the lump in her throat and continued to smile.

"Hey buddy, fuck you!" Lauren heard Camila retort, Camila let go of Lauren's hand and shook her head in disbelief at the man, "At least Lauren is making money, get a real job you fucking loser," Camila spat, and Lauren thought her stomach had fallen right out of her butt and onto the red carpet.

The paparazzo was taken aback by the comment from America's new Sweetheart, and he grunted heavily before walking off and joining the other crowd that was surrounding themselves with Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber, who now attended events alone instead of together.

Lauren lead Camila by the hand to the interviewers, and as they walked in solitude, she said, "Thanks for standing up for me back there, you shouldn't have."

Camila shrugged, her curls sweeping off her shoulder, "No one deserves to be treated like that."

"Lauren! Camila, heads up!" Ryan Seacrest beckoned, pronouncing Camila's name blatantly wrong. She pretended to ignore it, and followed Lauren meet ends with the short man.

"Hi Ryan," Lauren replied, flashing a blindingly white smile at the interviewer.

"You're a lot shorter in person," Camila blurted out, quickly covering her mouth with her free hand.

Ryan shrugged, "I've been told worse. So girls, how is the production of Girl Meets Girl going?"

Lauren answered the basic question, "Really great actually, I think it's definitely going to be a more serious film in context but it's been fun and light hearted, and I hope people feel inspired by it."

"That's great to hear. Camila, have you been working on any new music?" Ryan queried, shoving the heaving microphone into Camila's face.

"I've been writing here and there but I don't have any plans right now," Camila answered, keeping her response short and sweet. Truth be told, Camila had recorded the title track for Girl Meets Girl, but the public didn't know that yet.

"One last thing, your fans have been bombarding me with the same question, so much that my phone actually froze and had to restart!" Ryan exclaimed, and Lauren was in the business long enough to know that it was just a marketing strategy, "Who is Camren?"

Camila let out a laugh, shielding her fake smitten smile from the camera. Lauren smirked, and decided she would take the bait on this one.

"It's a name for our relationship, like how people on Tumblr and Twitter have so called ships," Lauren answered, looking to Camila and sending her a not so secrete wink.

"Is there any truth to Camren?" Ryan asked, his eyes glittering with the anticipation of gaining new knowledge.

Lauren welled her chest up, plastering a goofy smile on her face as she answered, "There's no comment on that at the moment," She responded, putting her arm around Camila as she lead her away from the thirsty interviewer. Leaving the edge of mystery brought more publicity to a relationship than flat out confirming that they were dating.

"I thought we were supposed to confirm it?" Camila said, her eyebrows furrowing together.

"I did, but my dear Camila, you never flat out confirm anything, it ruins hype," Lauren explained, making sure she and Camila were in front of the cameras while she nuzzled her head into Camila's neck, "And publicity is supposed to be what we're obtaining here, not a real relationship."

Camila nodded, stroking Lauren's hair softly. Even though this was all supposed to be a show, Lauren felt content with Camila's hands in her hair, and even more so when she realized that Camila had her back now.

Throughout the gala, Lauren and Camila really loved it up like they were two awkward teenagers who just began experimenting their feelings for each other. They sat at a round table with other celebrities like Ariana Grande, the four members of One Direction, and Selena Gomez, who thankfully got the eighth seat instead of Justin Bieber. Lauren would consider breaking her wine glass against her temple if her ex PR boyfriend was sat with her and her new girlfriend.

Cameras panned to Lauren and Camila several times during the event, capturing some sweet, obviously fake moments to be televised all over the nation. By the end of the night, Lauren was confident that their relationship could be confirmed real to the public, and the hardest part would be swept out from under her feet.

Dinah, Lauren's body guard, found her way into the party room after the gala had ended on the emotional note that they had raised over seven thousand dollars in crowd funds. Dinah was dressed in a black t shirt and jeans, her hair curled to perfection and her lips shaded a lovely red, and Lauren had to admit that Dinah was the hottest body guard someone could have.

"Let's go, Ally said you need to be openly spotted, so no back exits. You're coming with us, Camila," Dinah ordered, rounding the girls up under her wing.

The outskirts of the gala were a fucking freak show, completed with wild paparazzi and fans who had been camping outside of the building since the show began. Camila and Lauren held hands tightly, keeping their heads down low as they passed by the paparazzi. Dinah allowed them to take a few photographs with fans, but when the questions about sexuality started to pile up, Dinah pushed them into the limousine, and told the driver to get on with it.

"How was your first gala?" Lauren asked out of politeness, but a part of her was really interested to know how Camila's night went. "Really fun, but only because I was there with you," Camila responded, playfully brushing her fingertips over Lauren's leg.

The sensation of Camila's soft fingertips rolling their way over Lauren's thigh sent shivers up her spine, and Lauren felt a bit dizzy in the head. Any other time she would be enraged that Camila dared to come this close to her, and wrongfully so, but now she had a bit of wine in her system, and everything was a bit too happy for her liking.

Lauren blamed her affection toward Camila on the slight buzz she was feeling, and disregarded any deeper connection between them. It didn't exist, and it couldn't.


	4. Admit

"Hey, how was the gala last night?" Ally asked, her voice almost as sweet as the caramel coffee she went and fetched for Lauren. Ever since their spat in the limousine, Ally had been extra obedient, going on coffee runs left and right, demanding other people to fall to their knees for Lauren, and she even went as far as sending a flower boutique to her trailer. Not that Lauren was complaining or anything.

Lauren shrugged, cupping the cardboard mug with her cold hands, "Just dandy. It would have been better if I wasn't suffering through a mild hangover."

Ally clicked her tongue under her breath, "The coffee might help clear it up. Thank god we're at an indoor set today. I don't think I could have taken another minute of that barn scene."

"It's too fucking hot," Lauren complained, soliciting 'the look' from Ally, "I swore the sun had burnt my face off by the end of the shooting."

Nodding, Ally changed the subject from small talk to something more controversial, "How did things with Camila go? I mean I watched the interview with Ryan Seacrest and it was perfection, but in the sense of actual feelings, did anything happen that, you know, made you ask yourself if I was right?"

"How typical," Lauren responded, slurping the coffee through her lips, "Nothing happened," Lauren lied, hiding her face behind the cup.

Ally pulled over a chair, and sat down, crossing her legs as she rested her head in the palm of her hand, "You're lying to me. Want to know how I can tell? You always use this defense mechanism. You insult the person who calls you out, and then you deny it."

Lauren scoffed, slamming her coffee down on the makeup table next to her, "Do you enjoy being my therapist? Maybe you should have went to college and majored in psychology instead of making Starbucks runs," Lauren shot back, her blood boiling in her veins.

"You're doing it right now, it's called displacement," Ally replied, shrugging her shoulders, "The sooner you accept your love for Camila, the closer you'll be to tranquility. You're starting to get wrinkles from all of this stress."

Lauren gasped, her hand flying up to her forehead. She felt around for any folds in skin, but found nothing but her smooth, makeup dusted forehead. "Don't do that to me," Lauren whined, "And if I were in love with Camila, I would just say it, but I can't, because she makes me want to scoop my eyes out with an ice cream scooper."

Stifling a giggle, Ally responded, "Face it, Lauren, you're head over heels for her, and even if you're not, you will be by the end of production. I can tell by the way you look at her, and trust me, she admires you for more than just your acting skills. Stop trying to fake hatred to be edgy and embrace your happiness. Being miserable all the time isn't good for you, and as your manager, I demand you to indulge in some relaxing activities, like yoga or a trip to the spa. Oh, I know! I'm going to schedule a trip to the spa for just you and Camila. I'll book the place clean, and you guys can have a bonding experience."

Bonding was one of Ally's many specialties. Every time Lauren didn't get on with someone well, Mediator Ally came to the rescue with her checkbook in one hand and her cell phone in the other.

"Ally, no, it's not going to work this time," Lauren insisted, clawing at Ally like a child who's mother had just arranged a play date with the school's bully, "Please, I'll give you a raise, and I'll let you give me free psychology lessons, but please, anything but this."

Shaking her head, Ally responded, "Nope, too late. I bet by the time filming ends, I'll have you admitting that you're in love with the one and only Camila Cabello. But first, my needless meddling has to get you two together."

"Whatever floats your fucking ship," Lauren replied, "I bet you run a Camren blog on Tumblr, and you write that smutty fan fiction and make shitty edits with Microsoft paint."

"You guessed it," Ally retorted with a wink, "Now go get on set, the director is making eyes over here."

Chugging the rest of her coffee, Lauren stumbled over her stupid cowboy boots over to the set. Today they were doing a scene that took place inside of a barn, and of course, they built one on the sound stage, because all the open barns were too small for the crew. Lauren had no issue with it, since it was at least a million degrees out, and being outside in jeans and boots didn't sound fun.

Lauren tightened the plaid shirt that was tied around her waist, and she joined Camila on a bale of hay, shifting uncomfortably close to the girl she wished she could swear her enemy.

"I feel like I have needles in my ass," Lauren commented, eliciting a giggle from Camila.

"How do you think I feel? I have a mini skirt on. A black mini skirt. I'm going to have to lint roll myself like crazy when I stand up," Camila replied, "At least we're not in the heat though. Can you imagine?"

Lauren nodded in agreement, "I don't want to imagine."

"Places everyone!" The director beckoned, and within the next five seconds, everyone was quiet and orderly, "Let's take this shot from the top please, and action!"

Lauren smirked, putting her hand atop Camila's bare knee, "You know, to be a real cow girl, you can't wear slutty clothes like these. Down here we don't wear anything that doesn't brush our knees, and if we do, it's the shorts we wear while gardening." Lauren said.

"Is there a compliment hiding in your statement?" Camila asked, inching closer to Lauren's face, "Because if I'm not mistaken, I could guess that you like the way I dress. You enjoy seeing my thighs, not only because its a culture shock, but you find me sexy. I bet you want to put your virginal hands up my thighs and and under my skirt."

The fourth of July took place in Lauren's body, fireworks flashing through her stomach as her vision blurred and she wanted to let her impulses take control, but then she remembered they were acting, and she had a line coming up.

Lauren looked away sheepishly, "Talking to a country girl like that won't warm her heart," Lauren phrased, but she was no country girl, and her body was on fucking fire, "You have to be passionate, you have to love her, then you can make love to her."

"Love has nothing to do with it, sex is sex, Victoria," Camila stated. Lauren frowned, "Well I don't know who was ugly enough to you to make you believe that, but I'm damn sure going to change your mind."

"Cut!" The director shouted, "Again from the top, we're shooting from the left angle this time."

The run through happened at least a hundred times, and Camila's lines never failed to hit Lauren right at her core. Camila made these sexual eyes at Lauren, her voice growling a register lower than usual, and Lauren could swear that the tension between them was more than just acting. Camila's eyes seemed to peer through Lauren's soul, and each time Camila closed the distance between them, it seemed like she overstepped her previous boundary and moved a bit closer.

Maybe Ally was right, and Lauren did want to make out with Camila until she forgot who they were, and why they were together, but she couldn't give in, and she wouldn't let Ally have the glory of being right. Lauren couldn't have feelings for Camila, it just wasn't possible.

They ran the scene until it was stuck in their heads, and they moved on to a part that came later in the movie, where Ophelia and Victoria do a bunch of light hearted, goofy activities inside of the barn. Filming those portions was fun because for one, Lauren didn't have the complication of having to be with Camila the whole time, and second, it distracted her for thinking about the brown eyed beauty.

By the time midnight rolled around, the director called production quits for the day, and sent the crew back to their respective places. Lauren was honestly exhausted, and she considered falling asleep in her trailer, still wearing her makeup and all, but Ally insisted that she take it off, and they ride back to her penthouse.

After Lauren's face had been stripped of the make up it beheld, Ally joined hands with her and lead her back to the limousine, somehow still peppy even though they had been shooting all day, and it was now past one in the morning.

On the way home, Lauren stretched across the entire backseat of the limo, leaving Ally to curl up on an adjoining seat. Ally tapped away on her phone, and right as Lauren was about to doze off into dreamland, Ally broke the silence.

"I'm right, Lauren," Ally commented, her voice not condescending, but just matter of fact.

In a moment of weakness, Lauren admitted, "You're right. Maybe, somewhere, I've harbored some feelings for Camila. So fucking what." Lauren said groggily, her head still pounding from the stage lights and the smell of fresh paint.

Lauren could almost feel Ally's smile radiating across the room, but at this point, she didn't care. Ally had won, and Lauren was hopeless, because even though she was in denial, there was always the sparkle of truth that wouldn't disappear, even though Lauren wanted it to. Lauren had feelings for a girl, and even though she tried to mask it with hatred, benevolence always overcame nefariousness, and in the end, all romantic feelings would still exist.

Instead of worrying about it anymore, Lauren drifted off to sleep in the limousine, over the rainbow to float over to a fantasy land where she freely expressed her liking toward Camila.


	5. Real

Throughout the week, Lauren and Camila were dolled up and sent around various places, like for romantic walks on the beach or quick runs to Starbucks. Aside from filming, life carried on pretty normally, until Ally barged into Lauren's penthouse on a Thursday morning.

The director had given the cast a break so he and the crew could shape up a farmhouse they were filming in. Lauren had visited it the previous day, wandering through the winding hallways and getting lost in several floral themed rooms that smelled like a mixture of old women's perfume and a dusting house. The director had found it abandoned, and bought the home from the state, and he planned to move in some last minute furniture to make the house seem homelike.

But in other news, Ally let herself into Lauren's well kept penthouse, snaking around the fairytale esque furniture that filled the home. Lauren's bedroom door was cracked, and inside of it, Ally could hear her snoring softly.

Ally hated disturbing her, but she had business to take care of, so she tickled Lauren's feet from on top of the blankets, and when that didn't work, she laid on top of her.

"Who is on top of me?" Lauren grumbled out, her face still smashed against her eggshell colored pillow.

"It's your best friend Ally," Ally sing songed, way too cheery for the dreary morning, "I have news for you, and you're going to have to get up now. I got two tickets for that basketball game here in LA, and you're scheduled to attend with Camila. You're going to have to get up, though."

Lauren grunted into her pillow, wishing that Ally had given her one day to herself, but alas, personal space wasn't included in the roller coaster of being a celebrity.

"What time is it?" Lauren asked groggily.

"Right now? Ten in the morning, and you have to be there at seven."

Lauren opened her eyes, staring up at Ally, who was already dressed and ready to conquer whatever life threw her way, "Then why do I need to get ready now?"

"You need to make this seem like an official date, Lauren. I'll get you through hair, make up, clothing choices. Oh, and you're taking Camila out to dinner, how sweet is that?" Ally asked rhetorically, but Lauren continued to blaze her eyes through her, "Lauren, it's just one night. Even though you admitted...that thing to me last week, I know this is difficult for you, but trust me, everything is going to be worth it in the end, and if it's not, I will allow you to slap me three times, whenever you want."

Considering this proposition, Lauren rolled her eyes slightly, and then responded, "Fine, I'm in."

"Oh, and by the way," Ally started, standing up from Lauren's bed, and she began to head out the door, "The kiss cam has already been programmed to focus in on your seats. Well, I hope you guys have fun, I have to jet!" Ally called out from the front door, and then Lauren heard it slam behind her.

Fury built up in Lauren's stomach, then butterflies replaced the fire, and after, more anger pent up inside of her barely awake body. Lauren shook her head, snatching a pillow up and tossing it at a lamp while simultaneously muttering, "Fucking Ally."

# ☾

If Lauren had to pick three words to describe how she felt right now, it would be angry, betrayed, and fucking excited. Strictly, that was four words, but Lauren's judgement was too clouded to care about technicalities. For one, she was upset with Ally for basically lying to her about the basketball game, and second, she was stoked to be going on a quote unquote real date with Camila.

While Ally was handling paparazzi arrangements on her cell phone, Lauren was sat awkwardly next to Camila, who was tapping away on her phone. For once, Lauren desperately wanted to capture her attention, and watch the way Camila's eyes darted across her face or how the corners of her lips danced into a lovely smile as she laughed at everything Lauren said.

But instead, there was absolute silence.

"Great, we should be arriving in fifteen minutes," Ally chirped, ending the call, and immediately dialing another number, which turned out to be her boyfriend, who was currently vacationing out in Italy.

Lauren zoned into the minding chattering, hearing how the pitch in Ally's voice rose when she talked to Troy, and how her entire aura seemed to light up when she was able to squeeze just five minutes of him into her busy schedule. The thought made Lauren's heart swell up with joy, imagining what it was like to really be in love, because the closest she had ever come to it was with Justin, and she knew how that turned out.

Pathetic had to be Lauren's middle name, because even though she had been in a number of relationships, none of them were requited, or real. Lauren never got to experience the butterflies of a first relationship, or how warm and close someone's lips felt when she was connected into a kiss. Lauren felt like the queen of one night stands, but with loveless relationships instead of meaningless sex.

"Troy, I'll call you later," Ally commented, ending the call while simultaneously putting her game face on, "Girls, it's time."

In an instant, the girls were pushed out of the car, cameras wildly flashing in their faces like the speed of sound. Lauren shielded her eyes, clasping Camila's hand as she guided her inside the dimly lit, romantic restaurant, which had mostly been reserved for just them. In context, it would be a tender gesture, but Lauren felt everything but affectionate.

Camila and Lauren were sat at a table smack dab in the middle of the eatery, so the paparazzi could coincidentally get a good view of them on their first official date. Inside her mind, Lauren mentally scoffed, and asked herself how anyone could believe this bullshit. She thought the public was so dumb, but then again, they were on the outside, and were taught to accept everything that the media fed them with a wide open mouth.

Lauren pulled Camila's chair out and helped her in, like any proper date should do. She quietly took her spot across from Camila, averting her eyes to see that the girl already had the menu in hand, indirectly shielding herself away from her supposed date.

"So what are you thinking of ordering?" Lauren asked, and she felt a bit odd doing so, because their waitress hadn't even asked them what they wanted to drink.

Camila shrugged, exhaling out a monotone, "I don't know."

Lauren shifted her gaze, feeling a bit rejected. "I've been here before, the Tuscan chicken is really great," Lauren commented, attempting to spark up a conversation.

Camila raised her eyebrow as if she were brushing it off, but then muttered out a simple yet bitchy, "Okay."

Lauren stared at Camila, her skin prickling, "Why are you shrugging me off?" Lauren asked, her tone accusing and a bit rude, but she didn't care.

"I don't know, Lauren," Camila fired back, and Lauren was taken aback, because America's Sweetheart was about to bitch her out, "Maybe it's because you hate me for no fucking reason, and you treat everyone around you like shit. Or maybe it's because you're a diva and the only person who pisses you off is yourself, because you don't give anyone a chance. Am I right? Please, tell me I'm wrong," Camila said, slamming the menu down on the table so she could rest her dainty chin in her intertwined hands.

How could Lauren respond to that? What was there to say that could possibly make the situation any better, or clear her name from the accusations? The only thing Lauren was able to make out was a upsetting,"You're right."

Camila's chocolate colored eyes widened, and her lips part slightly, but then she shuts her mouth again. Now it was Camila's place to stir up a reply, but honestly, Lauren wasn't sure what to expect. The whole night seemed so unpredictable already, and things were just getting started.

Just then, Lauren's phone dinged in her purse. She fished it out, and open the message from Ally. It was a picture of her and Camila, just seconds earlier, sitting at the table with Camila's head in her hands, and Lauren staring back at her in a somewhat apologetic way.

Pictures really did tell a thousand words, but in this case, all of them were fucking lies.

Lauren silenced her phone and threw it back in her back, looking up to see that the waitress had arrived, and asked them what they wanted to drink. Lauren desperately wanted to displace her anger onto the young waitress, but decided it wouldn't be best for either herself or her reputation, so she ordered a coke between gritted teeth.

After she departed, Lauren turned her attention back to her date, and said, "Look, let's at least put on the media circus act and give them what they want. You being upset with me and dealing with it is a lot less painful than having management burn your ass at the stake for not obliging to their needs."

Camila crossed her arms, and mumbled out, "Alright. So what now? Are we going to continue pretending to like each other for the rest of the stunt, or what?

"I was thinking we could start off clean, and hopefully become friends," Lauren admitted, and she saw Camila's eyebrows furrow together, "It sounds crazy, but what do we have to lose? If it doesn't work out, so be it."

"Okay," Camila answered slowly, "Friends, then," She said, her lips curling into a grin as she stuck out her hand, "Friends."

# ☾

Dinner finished on a light, if awkward, note, and personally, Lauren felt a bit more confident in her and Camila's relationship. After conversing with the doe eyed girl, Lauren came to the realization that Camila is actually really adorable and down to earth, despite her immaturity. Lauren found herself giggling a lot louder, and her heart beating faster when she talked to Camila.

The girls ventured to the basketball game straight after dinner, and skipped on the concession stand. They made it to their seats a bit later, and fair weather fans were flocking them for autographs and pictures. Lauren and Camila were able to squeeze into a few iPhone selfies, and Lauren signed someone's snap back before Camila grabbed her by her hand and dragged her over to their floor seats.

"I've never been to a basketball game before," Camila admitted, her palms moist from the unbelievably hot atmosphere.

Lauren swept a piece of hair away from her face, "It's not interesting, trust me. If it weren't for promotional reasons, I wouldn't be caught dead in this place. Sweaty basketball players are not my scene," Lauren admitted, her voice almost drowned out by an eruption of cheers.

"Then let's get this over with," Camila commented, leading Lauren to their court side seats.

Throughout the game, Lauren and Camila barely paid any attention to what was actually happening on the court. Lauren was on cloud nine with this new friendship, and every time Camila attempted to capture her attention, Lauren's body prickled with elation. For the first time in years, Lauren was feeling something other than hatred, and honestly, it felt pretty great.

Half time rolled around quicker than Lauren had anticipated, and she glanced at Camila, hoping to solicit a reaction out of her. From how it looked, Camila had no idea that she and Lauren were about to publicly kiss for the first time.

Camila cooed at the couples up on the screen, pointing them out to the dumbstruck Lauren. As Camila was smiling at a teenage couple that was sitting together, she suddenly noticed herself and Lauren on the screen, staring starry eyed back at the kiss cam.

"Here goes nothing," Lauren whispered, cupping Camila's cheek to turn her head toward her own. The next five seconds went by in slow motion, and all Lauren could see was Camila's sparkling eyes and full, puffy lips that were glossed to a pink perfection. Their lips met for a short while, but to Lauren, it felt like a decade. Camila's lips were pillowy and soft, a smell of vanilla gloss appealing to Lauren's sense of smell. As Lauren backed away from Camila, the sounds of acclaiming people could be heard, and Lauren began to blush, from both the kiss, and the public display of affection. Lauren hated to admit it, but her stomach was bubbling with the arousal of a first kiss, something she had never really experience before.

As the camera panned onto the next person, Lauren finally met eyes with Camila, who looked completely hazed out and on another planet.

"So, that happened," Lauren awkwardly claimed, trying to settle the tension between them.

"Yeah, it did," Camila said, and after that, Lauren felt like there was nothing else to say.

The game came to a close, the home team sweeping a victory, and not a word was uttered during the second half of the game. The only noises that filled the air were the skids of shoes across the freshly waxed floors, the shrieking whistle blows, and the cheering fans. After the game had ended, Camila and Lauren were swarmed once again by fans and photographers who were snapping photographs wildly. Under the pressure, Lauren's eyes got a bit watery, and somehow, the whole situation became too much. All she wanted to do was go home and order Chinese takeout and hide under the covers, because she was absolutely humiliated, and disappointed.

Camila and Lauren were cursed from the start, and Lauren was honestly afraid that they would end up becoming enemies again.

After the makeshift meet and greet, Lauren and Camila exited the venue through the back entrance, not holding hands or being physical at all, and they waited outside for the limo to arrive. Lauren glanced over at Camila, who stood isolated, her soft features being illuminated by the cheap light that was connected to the outside of the building.

"What's wrong?" Lauren queried, breaking the elongated silence.

Camila wilted, glancing up at Lauren for only a second, "I've never kissed anyone before."

Lauren furrowed her eyebrows together, "But we kissed tonight, you know, for the kiss cam. That counted as a kiss, right? Even though it was just a peck on the lips?"

"I've never had a real kiss, I've never been in love," Camila admitted, playing with her hands nervously.

Lauren felt her face fall, and then she responded, "I haven't either. I've never had the time for actual love and dating, it seems so simple, but I can't seem to find it anywhere I look. Every kiss feels forced and dull, and every touch is nothing but just another brush of the hand, there's no passion."

"They say love finds you when you least expect it," Camila commented, nodding like she was trying to convince herself it was true.

"How about this," Lauren blurted out wildly, wishing she had swallowed her words, and tucked them away into the back of her memory, "What if I was your first kiss, and you were mine? Like an actual kiss, since we're friends now, you know?" Lauren asked, completely nervous, and completely drunk off the night.

Camila stared back at Lauren, and this made Lauren uneasy. Suddenly she wanted to run away, the shock of even more embarrassment building up high in her body.

But then Camila responded unexpectedly, "Okay," She replied, stepping closer to Lauren, "So this is really going to happen, isn't it?"

"I guess so," Lauren said, unsure where to begin.

Lauren closed the space between her and Camila, brushing her fingertips under Camila's chin, tilting it upward so they were at a better angle to meet lips. Lauren turned her head to the right, moving her hands to the sides of Camila's hips, and Camila wrapped hers instinctively around Lauren's neck. When their lips finally touched, Lauren felt it for the first time: fireworks exploded in her stomach, and from those fireworks came butterflies, which danced with her senses playfully.

This kiss was much more sensual and real, with Camila's soft lips dominating Lauren's bottom lip. In any other relationship, Lauren had never kissed someone with so much passion and emotion, and now here she was, standing with her former sworn nemesis, exchanging saliva like it was natural.

Camila was the first to break away, and Lauren wanted to pull her close again, even if it did mean she would suffocate and possibly die, but dying by Camila's side would be a privilege.

"Damn," Camila breathed, her pupils blown wide with lust, "Why didn't you kiss me like that at the game?"

Lauren smirked, shoving Camila on the shoulder, "Why didn't _you_ kiss me like that?"

Camila smiled down at the ground and shrugged lightly, then she lifted her head back up, and asked, "Did you feel it?"

"Feel what?" Lauren queried dumbly.

"You know, it. The sparks, the connection, the chemistry," Camila explained, her anxiety arousing speech making a full return.

"I did," Lauren nodded, "Kissing you was so foreign and so different from anything I've ever experienced before," Lauren confessed, and she suddenly wondered when their conversation had gotten so personal and mushy.

Camila's swollen lips danced into a grin, and just then, their limousine pulled up, and Ally rolled down the window, "Let's go girls, you're making worldwide news already!" 

Lauren and Camila shared a knowing glance, and then piled into the limousine.

"How was it?" Ally asked, only somewhat interested.

"Fine," Camila answered, slightly brushing Lauren's leg with her fingertips, "Just magical."


	6. Friends

Stolen glances, hidden touches, and late night phone calls ensued after Lauren and Camila's declaration of friendship. Most relationships usually don't escalate as quickly as becoming friends and then proceeding to make out all in one night, but Lauren's life was already the polar opposite of normal.

Filming continued on for the next few weeks, eliminating almost all of the scenes but the dreaded finale, where Camila and Lauren shared a too intimate for children clip. Lauren got nervous just thinking about it, because public displays of affection were just like acting, but what would happen when she kissed her costar and faux girlfriend with all the lust in the world? Lauren was afraid that everyone might see right through her, and she and Camila's somewhat flirtatious friendship would be found out.

At the end of Thursday's shoot, Lauren was clutching her iced coffee in one hand and her cell phone in the other, typing a message to Camila out with her thumb. Camila was already back in her trailer with Normani, wiping away the thick eyeliner and dark lip stick that was required for her character. Lauren giggled to herself as she swiped her thumb across the phone, sending a message that would probably be considered too risque for girls who considered themselves just friends.

"Who are you messaging?" Ally asked from behind Lauren, causing her body to jolt from surprise.

Beads of sweat prickled under Lauren's armpits as she hid her phone from view, "No one interesting, just a friend from back home."

Ally stared back at the girl, her heavily dusted eyes narrowing, "You're lying to me. If it were someone that wasn't important, you wouldn't have almost sacrificed your coffee to hide your phone," Ally replied sternly, "I bet I can guess who it was."

"Go right ahead," Lauren responded, her voice laced with snark, even though her all too telling blush was already giving away who it was.

"Hm," Ally grunted out, tapping her chin with her index finger, "If I were to guess, and I only had one guess, I would bet every last dime that it was a certain fake girlfriend. Would I be homeless to suggest that?" Ally asked, a smirk dancing across her plumply lined lips.

Lauren lifted her shoulders slightly, grabbing her coffee as she hopped off of her chair, "A girl doesn't kiss and tell," Lauren riposted with a seductive wink, glad that she finally let the scenario off her chest.

Ally gasped audibly, speeding up her walk to get closer to Lauren, who had thrown her purse over her shoulder as she sauntered off the set.

"You mean you guys kissed? When?" Ally queried, her voice growing shrill and embarrassing like a mother who had just found out her daughter had experienced her first kiss and didn't bother to confide in her dear old mother.

Lauren couldn't help but smile at the memory, and how the moonlight felt on her face and the fruity taste of Camila's puffy lips. As Lauren got sucked back into the dreamy memory, she could feel her heart racing as she remembered how it felt to have her hands around Camila's waist, and she responded, "After the basketball game. She told me she had never had a real first kiss, you know beside the one on the screen, and I hadn't either. So we just, you know, made out."

Ally grinned and squealed, grasping Lauren's hands in her own, "I knew it, this is going to work out so well! Maybe you guys can keep dating and eventually get married, and oh, Lauren, it's going to be so beautiful! I knew you would find love one day, I really did."

"Woah, Ally, slow down," Lauren removed her hand from Ally's, "We're not dating, we're just friends. Trust me."

"Friends don't kiss each other," Ally stated factually, "And 'just friends' don't fall in love with each other. Troy and I were what you would call 'just friends' before we started dating, and we've been together since high school. Lauren, the people you fall in love with aren't only your soul mates, but also your 'just friends'," Ally said, throwing air quotes around left and right.

Lauren took Ally's words of wisdom to heart, but she shrugged it off and denied the statement coldly, "It was one kiss, it doesn't mean anything."

Ally shook her head slightly, "Call me when you get your head out of your ass and you admit to your feelings, grow up, Lauren," Ally snapped back, "Oh, and by the way, you're supposed to be attending Taylor Swift's birthday party, it's like, her third this month, and it's not even her birthday," Ally said, switching her tone from accusing to professional, "It starts in a couple hours, so I'll drop you off at home, and I'll send a limo to pick you up." Ally said, and then, she walked away, leaving Lauren on the back lot of the set.

# ☾

Around seven o'clock, Lauren's limousine drove around the circular driveway of the winding mansion that the starlet Taylor Swift called her home. The exterior was painted a lovely white, and the inside of the house was dark, but every few seconds, lights illuminated the curtains that closed off the inside of the house.

Lauren thanked her driver and wished him a safe night as she climbed out of the limousine, pulling her mini skirt down over her thighs so she could avoid showing off every part of her body. A popular Britney Spears song could be heard blaring from Taylor's backyard, seemingly reflecting off the vast waters of the sea. Lauren followed the radio waves, being greeted by what she could assume was Taylor's body guard, who took one look at her, and let her through the gate.

The deck was packed with celebrities, old and young alike, and they were all mingling and sipping from red plastic cups. Lauren nervously brushed a hand through her hair, searching for the blonde guest of honor, which shouldn't be too hard to find in the crowd of people.

"Oh my God, Lauren! I'm so glad you came!" Taylor beckoned, unhinging herself from Calvin Harris as she jogged over to Lauren, and proceeded to throw her arms around the young celebrity.

Lauren returned the favor by embracing Taylor, "I was just looking for you! Thanks for inviting me, the set up is so awesome," Lauren nodded, gazing around the deck, which was decorated with flowers and a few bright strobe lights.

"Thanks!" Taylor grinned, "It was simple, but it's summer, so who really cares about the decorations, right?" Taylor asked, winking slightly, "I'll catch up with you later, Laur, I've got to go greet Harry and Louis!" Taylor said, waving at Lauren, and leaving her alone on a crowded deck.

Eventually, Lauren found herself tagging along with Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato, who were obviously an item on the down low. Lauren laughed along with the girls, somewhat detached as she watched them grab each other in a flirtatious way, and silently, Lauren wished that she shared that kind of bond with someone.

Maybe she was being delusional and she already was.

For the rest of the night, Lauren drowned her trials and tribulations down with whatever she could found, and after about five drinks, her intoxication levels were definitely on the rise. The party had calmed down a bit, and Selena and Demi were full on tonguing about three inches away from where Lauren was cuddled up on the couch. Taylor was resting her head on Calvin's shoulder, talking softly under the stars above, and some other celebrities were sitting in a circle, playing a childish game of spin the bottle.

Suddenly, it hit Lauren like a brick that she was completely and totally alone on a couch at Taylor Swift's house, with no one to confide in, or someone to call her own.

In her drunken state, Lauren had the wild idea of pulling out her cell phone, and tapping on Camila's name in her contact list. Lauren wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to do with it, so she just stared at the six letter name that was illuminated on her screen. 

Lauren tapped on the message icon, and began typing away.

_fuck i want to kiss you again - 2:32_

_i know we're supposed to be just friends but god damn you're so beautiful - 2:32_

_just friends don't kiss each other - 2:33_

_i'm drunk and about to pass out at taylor swift's house and i can't stop thinking about how fucking pretty you are - 2:33_

Just as Lauren sent the last message, a guy she had never met before approached her. Through her blurred vision, Lauren could make out tons of heavy, disproportionate make up and a hairstyle that looked like it came straight from a MySpace page in 2005. He gave Lauren a wicked smile, and then sat on the edge of the couch.

"Who the fuck are you?" Lauren asked rudely, her words slurring slightly.

"Dahvie Vanity, from Blood on the Dance Floor, I'm sure you've heard of me," Dahvie said, flipping his cheaply done hair off of his white forehead, "Why don't we get out of here?"

Lauren's face screwed up, and even though she was intoxicated, she wasn't _that_ drunk, "No thanks, I've got to go," Lauren commented, getting up from the couch and walking to the front of the house, where she texted her driver and asked him to come pick her up as soon as possible.

While she waited, Lauren went back to her messages with Camila, and began sending more drunk texts should would probably regret in the morning.

_i've kissed so many people but nothing feels as real as us - 2:45_

_i'm so fucking sorry i was a bitch i'm so confused and you're so pretty and i'm just sorry - 2:45_

_i don't know why i'm apologizing i'm sorry - 2:45_

_fuck - 2:46_

_please don't read these i'm sorry - 2:47_

_fuck me until i can't see the stars in your eyes - 2:48_

_wait we're friends we can't - 2:48_

_shit sorry - 2:48_

_i don't even know if you like me - 2:48_

_i don't even know if you like girls -2:49_

The limousine curved around the path, and the driver got out of the car to help Lauren into the back of the vehicle. Lauren fell asleep on the way home, and didn't even notice when she got a text back.

Her phone died, and Lauren wasn't awake to see the message.

 


	7. Spaces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now I'm speechless, over the edge, I'm just breathless...

The sun broke through Lauren's open windows, casting a lovely, yet blinding light across the white adorned bedroom. Lauren shielded her eyes, her hangover kicking in full force, as she threw herself out of bed to close the french doors that lead out to her balcony. As she slammed the doors shut, the room was lulled with complete and utter silence, drowning out the sounds of chirping birds and the rustling of leaves outside.

Lauren sighed, padding across her bedroom floor and out to the kitchen where she hoped to find a one, two, or maybe twenty headache pills.

Silently, Lauren wondered how she had made it into her apartment the night previous. She was absolutely piss drunk, and Lauren barely even remembered getting into the limousine last night, so as she twisted open the cap of the medicine bottle, she heard something move behind her.

Turning around, Lauren's eyes glanced over a dark brunette head of hair facing away from her on her couch. Lauren's stomach twisted in knots out of fear, and she let out a blood curdling scream, causing the girl to leap up. The girl whipped around, her hair half stuck to her face, with her clothes disheveled on her dainty body, and then Lauren realized it was Camila.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Lauren demanded, her voice a bit hoarse from both the scream and from the alcohol consumption.

Camila cleared her throat, her eyes innocent and sleepy, "I got your texts last night, and I messaged you back, saying that I would be here when you got home to help you get settled. When the limo dropped you off, you were passed out, so I had to pinch you awake. Don't you remember? I made you a glass of warm milk and helped you get into bed so you wouldn't feel totally useless when you woke up this morning," Camila explained, and slowly, memories from the night before came crashing through Lauren's brain.

Suddenly, Lauren was taken back to only a few hours earlier, where she was relaxing on her couch with a warm mug contently resting in between her hands. Camila was across from her, smiling and talking nonsense, and Lauren recalled smiling, and getting butterflies as she spoke.

But then, a feeling of dread washed over Lauren as the provocative texts flashed through her mind, and a sticky grime of guilt started to eat up her stomach.

"Barely," Lauren lied, tipping her head back and swallowing the pills down dry, "I appreciate it, though."

Camila nodded pleasantly, standing awkwardly in Lauren's penthouse living room. There was an unacknowledged tension resting between them, eating at their new found friendship, and casting an undeniable barrier which neither of them wanted to cross. In the back of her mind, Lauren wanted to ask why Camila had come to her rescue and treated her like a damsel in distress, like the messages she had sent weren't totally friendship crushing.

Neither of them a word, so Camila pursed her lips and said, "I guess I better be going, I don't want to be a burden."

"Camila wait," Lauren blurted, not sure what she was going to finish her sentence with.

Camila stared up at Lauren, her eyes glistening with wonder and hope, and Lauren bit her lip harshly, almost to the point of drawing blood.

"Yeah?" Camila queried, moving toward Lauren.

"What I texted you last night," Lauren started, gulping slightly.

"Don't worry about it," Camila said, her spirit wilting like a flower in the winter, "You were drunk, and we're just friends. It's okay to be a little confused sometimes, we all are," Camila replied weakly, averting her eyes away from Lauren as she headed toward the door.

Lauren gripped her forearm, and said, "I meant it."

Camila sighed, "Lauren..."

"I'm serious, Camila, don't leave me hanging like this," Lauren demanded, her eyes stinging with tears that were begging to be released, "You can't tell me that when we kissed, you didn't feel it. The fire, the power, the chemistry was there Camila, I fucking felt it. I've kissed about twenty people in my lifetime, and I've never experienced as much passion as I did, even though I only kissed you one time. For once in my life the entire world wasn't weighing down on me, and you're the reason."

Swallowing hard, Camila loosened her arm from Lauren's grasp, and choked out a response, "Stop fucking with my feelings, Lauren," Camila snapped, "First, you think I'm absolutely deplorable, then we make amends and become friends for a good three hours, and then we're making out. How are we going to survive, Lauren? Because I'm afraid that if I walk out right now, you'll detach yourself from me, and this will all be forgotten. You're so finicky and confused, and I honestly don't want to be caught in the middle of it. You're not going to break my heart, Lauren."

"I'm scared, Camila!" Lauren shouted, tears overflowing down her reddened cheeks, "Don't you get that? I kept finding reasons to hate you because I thought you were the prettiest and most confident person I had ever met! I want to protect you and kiss you and hold you all at the same time, and I've never wanted someone like that, Camila," Lauren whispered out through her manic state, "I'm so afraid."

Before a beat had even fallen between them, Camila was grabbing Lauren and pulling her close, lessening the spaces in between them. The action took Lauren by complete surprise, but she sucked up her tears, and embraced Camila with all of her might.

Neither of them said a word, and as Camila backed away, Lauren couldn't help but be aware of how close their faces were, and how Camila's pupils were blown black with want, and how inviting her lips looked. Lauren tested the waters, leaning closer to Camila's face, and when she found no resistance, Lauren smashed their lips together.

There it was again, crash, boom smoke.

Winding stalks of affection and relief grew in Lauren's stomach as she exchanged intimacy with the only person she had ever shared a bond with. Camila kissed back, her puffy lips dominant, overlapping Lauren's thinner, swollen ones. Camila was totally in control, while Lauren felt helpless under her spell, falling into submission when Camila brushed her hands through Lauren's long and tangled hair.

Camila backed away from the kiss, her arms still dangling around Lauren's neck. Camila let a smile dance across her flushing lips, and Lauren could tell that whatever they had was definitely real, because no amount of acting could ever mimic the way someone's eyes gleam when they're undoubtedly and completely yearning for someone else.

Lauren returned the fond look, but then she sobered up, and asked, "What does this mean for us?"

"Well," Camila said, biting her lip and tossing her hair over her shoulder, "We're definitely not enemies, and if we're going to be friends, we have to stop falling for each other."

"I can't help falling in love with you," Lauren admitted, and suddenly the room was quiet enough to where Lauren could hear her own heartbeat, which had synchronized with Camila's.

"Then why don't we make this official?" Camila asked, "The whole world already believes we're dating, so why the hell not?"

Butterflies began to cocoon out of Lauren's stomach, and while the offer sounded like everything she had ever dreamed of, she had to remember that Camila was a girl, and she wasn't sure if she could do this. Of course, it was illogical, because the entire world already knew the were together, but now it was real, and not just another promotional relationship.

"Okay," Lauren agreed, taking the final leap into falling, "Let's do this."

Lauren kissed Camila again, and couldn't keep herself from giggling while they embarked into a new relationship together.


	8. Wrap

"One more take for the final kissing scene, action!" The director beckoned, doing his signature clap that automatically sent the actresses on cue, and ready to complete the final scene of the movie.

Lauren squinted her eyes in the light of the blaring sun, pushing her wispy hair out of her face like she had thirty time before. Lauren met gazes with Camila, who's shoulders were turning the color of rubies, because the Los Angeles heat was unbelievable, especially since they had been filming the same damned scene for hours now.

As she stepped closer to Camila, Lauren recited her line, "So where do we go from here? Is this goodbye?" Lauren inquired, forcing her face to screw up into a frown.

"Being alive in the technological era must be a sign of fate," Camila stated, fiddling with the strap of her purse, "There's always Skype, and I'll promise to call you or write you or God, I'll do anything to talk to you," Camila exhaled, forcing silent tears down her cheeks, "And once we're both eighteen, we can get the hell out of where we are, and live together," Camila clasped Lauren's hands, "It's going to happen."

Lauren nodded, audibly choking back tears. Faking despair wasn't difficult, considering the fact that the perspiration from the heat could be passed off as mourning the loss of someone special, but the audience didn't have to know that.

"Promise to remember me?" Lauren questioned, holding out her pinkie.

Camila wrapped her smallest finger around Lauren's, and whispered back, "I promise."

They shook their tiniest fingers together, and a disembodied voice off stage beckoned for Camila's character. Camila let go of Lauren's finger, and then wrapped her arms around her neck, standing up on her toes to plant a kiss on Lauren's lips. Lauren acted surprised, but then relaxed into the peck on lips, and waved Camila off when she turned to walk away, and into the sunset.

"Cut!" The director called, "Take five while I watch this back, hopefully we don't have to do this ever again."

Lauren silently thanked God that they had a few minutes to themselves, because she needed to lay down on the ground and place a water bottle against her forehead as soon as possible. If the temperature wasn't bad enough, Lauren was decked out in heavy blue jeans, cowboy boots, and a plaid shirt that was tied just above her belly button. She was currently the walking stereotype of a Southern Belle, and she couldn't help but ask herself how the hell country people put up with this every day.

"Come here, sweetheart," Ally called, holding up an ice pack while she simultaneously fanned herself off, "Let's pray this is your last shot. You're going to have a heat stroke."

"I'm fine, mom," Lauren joked, because sometimes, Ally was like her overbearing mother.

Camila jogged over to join them, a sweating bottle of water dangling from her fingers. Lauren felt a bit vexed for her girlfriend, because she was decked out in a leather jacket and black skinny jeans, which probably wasn't much better than Lauren's get up.

"Hey, Cam," Lauren cheered, her overall aura changing from miserable to elated in a matter of seconds.

Camila popped down on the grass next to Lauren, stripping off her jacket as she rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"It's so fucking hot," Camila moaned, nesting her head farther into the crook of Lauren's neck.

Lauren petted Camila's sweat drenched hair, "I know, babe, hopefully this is all over soon."

When Lauren stopped being all lovey dovey with Camila, she turned her attention back to Ally, who's face was reeking with confusion, and her slanted eyes were daring Lauren to give her an explanation.

"What...I don't," Ally muttered out, cocking her head to the right like a confused puppy, "Lauren, is this why you've been such a push over lately? Are you guys just really friendly now, or are you doing it behind my back?"

Lauren automatically blushed a bright red, because again, Ally was like her mother, and sex definitely wasn't something she wanted to discuss with her. Plus, Lauren was a bit sober to the fact that she and Camila hadn't had sex yet, and had barely gone further than the kissing stage.

"No! God, no," Lauren boiled, her hands sweating for a completely different reason now, "We're uh, dating, but it's kind of on the down low."

Ally's eyebrows furrowed together, "Lauren, sweetheart, I don't know if you have a concussion or something, but you guys have been dating in the public eye for a few months now," Ally said slowly, like Lauren was a young child who didn't know any better.

"Wait, you didn't tell Ally that we're together?" Camila asked, obviously offended, "Why would you keep us a secret? Are you ashamed of me?"

"No! It's not that, Camila, I promise," Lauren scurried to formulate an answer, "You're definitely nothing to be embarrassed about, I just didn't," Lauren bit her lip, afraid of admitting the truth, "I'm scared, and you know that."

Camila frowned, "You can't be scared forever, Lauren."

"Well right now isn't forever, you have to give me time, and I'm not educated or well bred in relationships, you're my first, Cam," Lauren confessed, and now, she was the one that was ashamed of her lack of experience in the dating department.

"God, I'm sorry I snapped," Camila apologizes, "It's a million degrees out, and I'm lashing out on you and you're the only thing that makes me happy and fuck, we're both so bad at relationships," Camila laughed at her own expense.

"Then we can be awful at this together," Lauren commented, smiling a bit, "Unless you're insinuating that we break up, then I might be a little heartbroken."

Camila shook her head rapidly, "Oh, no! No, we're going to make it through this, even if we have no idea what we're doing."

Lauren grinned at this, and her sentimental side skipped a beat.

"Lauren, Camila!" The director called, "I think this will suffice, but let's see your input."

The girls trotted through the grass over to the camera, which displayed tinier versions of themselves on the screen. The shot was clear, the sun wasn't blinding the focus, and all in all, they looked good. When the kissing scene was built up, Lauren almost screamed, because she somehow felt like she was watching her own sex tape.

"So?" The director asked as a tiny Camila walked off into the sunset.

"It's a wrap!" Camila yelled, stealing his line, and the entirety of the cast erupted in applause, and some even immediately grabbed their things and started heading toward some shade. Camila hugged Lauren koala bear style, and exclaimed, "I cannot believe I just finished filming my first movie, it's probably the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Lauren rocked back, asking sarcastically, "Even more than us?"

Camila pulled back, "You're included, without the movie, I would never would have met you."

"I honestly can't even imagine what that would have been like," Lauren admitted, remembering how just a few weeks ago, she had been wallowing in her own misery and confusion, and then, she and Camila made things official.

"You know," Camila started, her arms still around Lauren's neck, "Seeing us kiss on screen was kind of hot."

Lauren giggled, and closed the space between them, planting a more romantic and involved kiss on Camila's lips, and when they were later hanging out in Camila's trailer, Lauren felt like she had opened a new chapter in her life.


	9. VMAs

Photo shoots, cameras, interviews, and raging super fans consumed Lauren's days after filming had finished. By the third day of the absolute nightmarish behavior, Lauren was ready to hop in her car and drive home so she could have some much needed down time with herself and Camila. The ride home rose Lauren's anxiety to an all time high, because she was so ready to go home and lay down and do nothing.

After almost an hour of traffic, Lauren arrived at her penthouse, covering her face with over sized sunglasses and the tribal pattern scarf that was looped around her neck. The paparazzi just didn't know when to let up, and with the week Lauren was having, she was one hundred percent over the Hollywood scene.

Lauren avoided the flashing lights and ridiculous questions as best as she could, using her key to open the gates to the building. Thankfully, she got in quick, but the crowd of paparazzi were pushing themselves against the iron wrought fence, tossing interrogatives about her career, her sexuality, and even her relationship with Camila.

Tuning them out, Lauren sauntered up to the front doors of the complex, sticking her key card through the slot, and stepping into the revolving doors and they spun. As soon as she entered the room, she heard a girl scream, and if she were anyone else, it would alarm her. A teenage girl with light blonde hair and sun kissed skin approached Lauren, her hands shaking.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I just can't believe Lauren Jauregui is standing right in front of me!" The girl commented, tears of happiness spilling down her make up clad cheeks.

Lauren shrugged, plastering a smile on her face, "I'm just a person, don't cry sweet heart," Lauren stated, pulling the fan into a tight hug.

The girl continued to sob, and when she finished, she backed away from Lauren, and asked the long awaited question, "Is it okay if I get a picture with you?"

"Of course," Lauren grinned, pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head as she leaned in next to the girl, looking at her own reflection of the iPhone screen. Once the photo was taken, Lauren inquired, "Do you have anything you'd like me to sign?"

The young girl nodded, reaching inside of her over-the-shoulder satchel and pulled out a wallet, which had a young Lauren Jauregui's face plastered on the front.

"God, this merchandise was so ugly," Lauren replied, shaking her head as she recalled her days on the Disney Channel, "What's you name? I'm being rude, and I didn't ask."

"Carrie," The girl, Carrie, answered, "While we're here, can I thank you? I'm a lesbian, and yours and Camila's relationship helped me get over my internalized homophobia. I recently came out to my parents, and you two really helped me break out of my shell, thank you," Carrie claimed, nodding with complete sincerity.

Lauren's eyes welled up with tears, and she swallowed the lump in her throat to respond, "I'm glad that I could help you."

"You're making a huge difference, even if it doesn't seem like it," Carrie said, taking her wallet back, "I'll leave you go now, and my sister is probably wondering what's taking me so long, thank you, again," Carrie waved, and then she was off, jogging up the stairs.

Lauren was exhausted, so she avoided the stairs like they were the plague, and she opted for the elevator instead. Lauren jammed her floor number, and through the soothing sounds of the elevator music, Lauren couldn't help but be haunted by Carrie's words. Of course, Lauren had heard the typical 'you saved my life' and the 'i love you' lines time and time again, but never had she literally changed someone's life.

The reflective doors to the elevator opened, and on the outside, Lauren was greeted by her front door. Lauren keyed the lock, and stepped inside of the oddly warm penthouse, and threw her jacket onto a nearby chair.

The television was on inside of Lauren's bedroom, and the door was barely ajar. Lauren kicked off her shoes, making her way over to her chamber.

Lauren pushed open the door, taking in the sight that was in front of her. Camila was sitting cross legged on her bed, balancing a Styrofoam container in the crooks of her legs. Camila was wearing one of Lauren's old middle school sweatshirts, and a dainty pair of underwear, which Lauren assumed was her own.

Camila unglued her eyes from the television, swallowing the food she was chewing before grinning and saying, "Hey, babe. How was the Vogue shoot?"

Lauren began to unbutton her unbelievably tight skinny jeans, "Really fun, I got to wear a lot of ball gowns and as you can tell, I still have my make up on," Lauren said, pointing to her caked on foundation, which probably looked like the moon's craters by now.

"When the issue comes out, I'm going to buy a hundred of them," Camila joked, shoving another forkful of Chinese food into her mouth.

Lauren let out a hearty laugh, and added, "And what would you do with them all?"

"You don't want to know," Camila winked, eying Lauren as she slipped her sweatpants over where her jeans just were, "Come lay with me, I've missed you," Camila whined, plastering a pouty expression on her adorable face.

"Okay," Lauren said, stripping off her sequin studded tank top, and replacing it with a comfortable t shirt that she got for free from a local restaurant. Lauren climbed into bed next to Camila, nuzzling her head onto her thigh as she turned her attention to the ridiculous reality television show Camila was watching.

A commercial for the Video Music Awards flashed on the screen, and Camila immediately smacked Lauren on the arm.

"...With performances by Camila Cabello..."

"Did you hear that? They said my name, on MTV!" Camila said giddily, bouncing up and down on Lauren's bed, causing the bed to hit the wall.

Lauren scrunched up her face, looking up to her girlfriend, "You didn't tell me you were going to the VMAs!"

Camila flushed a bright red, "I was planning on surprising you, like the day before," Camila admitted, "Which would happen to be tomorrow. I had like a whole VMA proposal planned out and everything," Camila shrugged, her face falling a bit.

"It doesn't matter how you ask me, as long as I get to go with you, I'll be happy," Lauren replied, her tone cheesy and loving.

"Then we're going to the VMAs together!" Camila announced, gripping Lauren closer, and leaning down to plant a kiss on her straightened hair. Lauren snuggled into her girlfriend's thigh, remembering the young girl that she had met downstairs just ten minutes earlier.

Lauren cleared her throat, feasting her eyes on Camila, who was too occupied with the television screen to notice her.

"So I met someone interesting tonight," Lauren stated, a bit uncomfortable, and unsure how to begin the conversation, because she was afraid she might break like a dam.

"Oh really?" Camila teased, running a hand through Lauren's hair, "Are you cheating on me?"

Lauren giggled and swatted Camila's hand away, "No, the girl was like fourteen. Her name was Carrie, and she told me that we helped her get over her internalized homophobia, come out to her parents, and get a girlfriend. I felt for her, I could relate with her pain, but also her happiness. I was almost moved to tears, because I never thought I could really change someone's life like that, you know?" Lauren confessed, wet droplets of tears brimming her eyelashes.

"That's the sweetest fan story I have ever heard," Camila admitted, "I wish I could have met her. She seems nice."

"She was, she really separated herself from every other fan who spews out praises with no back story, but Carrie was different," Lauren stated, remembering the way Carrie's eyes glistened with suffering, but then, suddenly, the girl turned into a warrior right in front of Lauren.

"You're inspirational, Lauren, even if you don't see it, what we're doing is slowly helping effect the way the world sees homosexuals," Camila said, reaching over to grab the remote, and she powered off the television, "We're superheroes, you're the girl who always saves the day, and I stand by your side, taking on whoever gets in your way."

Lauren flushed, her heart racing with so much love, her very soul could feel it, "We should share that really, it's not all me. You're helping people too, because without you, who am I going to date? Myself?"

Camila laughed, and then agreed, "Okay, then we're both superheroes. Now let's go to sleep, my little Captain America."

Lauren sighed, falling asleep on top of Camila with a grin on her face.

# ☾

On Sunday afternoon, Lauren and Camila were piled up in a trailer hidden on the back lot of where this years VMAs were being held. Lauren had already put on her shimmery, off the shoulder purple dress, and was currently getting her lip color done a perfect plum to match her outfit. Lauren sat in the chair, watching her girlfriend get dressed through the reflection of the mirror.

"How do I look?" Camila queried, doing a full circle spin in her pink, floral bandaged dress.

Lauren couldn't help but grin, causing Clarissa to grunt in disapproval, "I love it, babe. Pink suits you so well, you're going to murder the red carpet tonight."

"Thanks," Camila said, hiking down the skirt over her thighs, "Have you seen my performance outfit?" Camila asked, holding up a clear outfit bag, which contained a thigh length lace bodice, blacker than the color of Lauren's hair.

Lauren's stomach dropped, and immediately, her skin started prickling up with not love, but lust. Lauren's mouth fell agape, and once again, Clarissa groaned, but Lauren couldn't focus on anything but her imagination, which was filled with visions of Camila in that skimpy outfit. Lauren wasn't sure how she was going to make it through Camila's performance without passing away.

"You're going to look so great in it," Lauren murmured through the lipstick Clarissa had been blotting around the corners of her mouth.

"Normani picked it out, she said I need to sex up my appearance a bit more to get the critics talking, especially since we have the new movie coming out soon," Camila stated, tossing the bag back onto the olive colored couch, "They also did a heavier mix of my first single, Sledgehammer, as well," Camila said, not specifying who the people in mention were.

"Bad press is better than no press," Lauren commented, which wasn't exactly true, because no press didn't drive celebrities into depression, but Lauren didn't want to ruin Camila's outlook on her new found fame.

Camila shrugged, "I guess that's true, except I haven't seen any bad press yet. I've been penned as the next Pop Princess, I can't believe it. I used to sit in my room and look up to women who already hold that standard, like Madonna and Britney, and now I'm being grouped together with them. It's crazy," Camila exhaled in her daydream like state.

Lauren let the corners of her lips fall into a visible frown, because Camila was so innocent and misinformed, and Lauren didn't want to have her learn how cruel, evil, and controlling the industry really was. The first few years were like an endless dream, but then, the public begins to get tired of said celebrity, and it all goes down from there. Lauren had watched too many of her child star friends go off the rails and into a deep abyss to which they would never return.

"It's almost show time, girls," Ally said from the ajar door, which she had managed to open quickly and quietly.

"We would be finished if Princess Lauren would stop talking," Clarissa groaned, angrily drawing lip liner across the bottom of Lauren's already heavily traced lips.

Dinah stuck her head in the door behind Ally, "Lauren, let's go, the hosts keep talking about you and Camila, and honestly, it's kind of pathetic how much publicity you guys are getting. It's like the Justin Bieber fiasco all over again."

Lauren rolled her eyes at the mention of his name.

Clarissa stood back, eying Lauren's face, and then patted her on the shoulder, "Go, now, before I change my mind."

Dinah grasped Lauren by her forearm, and Camila followed suit. The trio trotted out of the cramped trailer, letting August's setting sun envelop their skin with it's warmth. Lauren squinted her eyes, walking like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz, and silently praying that her hair didn't go wild and blow into her lip make up. Clarissa would absolutely annihilate Lauren if that ever happened.

Camila stepped closer to Lauren, snaking her hand around her girlfriend's waist. Lauren turned her attention to Camila, her green eyes meeting Camila's, which glowed a lovely amber color in the light of the glistening sunset.

"Look, there's Lauren Jauregui!" One teenaged girl shouted, and suddenly, everyone was screaming, for both Lauren and Camila.

Letting go of Camila's hand, Lauren gave her lovely public a wave, and sauntered over to a few of the lucky people in the front rows to take photographs. Camila did the same, signing someone's t shirt with the title of her album on it, and meanwhile, Dinah stood very close to the girls, not letting either of them out of her sight.

Soon, photographers were beckoning for their attention, and Lauren posed with her girlfriend for the cameras. One cameraman shouted for them to do something cute, so Lauren leaned her face into Camila's, and nuzzled their noses together. Fans could be heard audibly cooing, and Lauren was thriving off of the rush she got from being publicly intimate with her girlfriend.

After a few pictures were snapped, interviewers from E!News hounded them down, and the pair resorted to the interviewer closest to them. She was a dark haired woman who Lauren couldn't recognize, so she plastered a smile on her face and did her best to stay polite.

"Hi girls! I'm a really huge fan of you both!" The interviewer called, shaking from excitement, as she shoved a microphone into their faces.

"Well thank you," Camila said gracefully, showing her teeth that were brighter than the sun.

"So, what's the progress on Girl Meets Girl? Do you have any information?" The interviewer queried, her eyes wide, and Lauren could just tell that this girl wasn't lying to them when she claimed to be a ginormous fan.

Lauren tossed her hair over her shoulder and leaned into the microphone, "We're happy to confirm that filming has ended, and editing is in its last stages. I can promise that this movie is going to be absolutely revolutionary, and no bullshit, it's probably my favorite project so far." Lauren said, discreetly squeezing Camila's hip.

"Why would you say that?"

"It's a game changer, and while its archetypical, it's also very intriguing. Plus, without it, I never would have met my beautiful girl," Lauren gushed, and usually these comments were forced, but right now, it was real.

The interviewer cooed, "You guys are the total it couple right now, all eyes are on you. How does that feel?"

"Great, actually," Camila stepped up, "It's amazing to fall in love, but it's so much better when the whole world is watching, you know? There are so many analytical people in the world who could probably see it from the first sighting, but they don't see what happens behind the lights," Camila explained, returning the squeeze, but on Lauren's butt instead of her waist.

The woman nodded, "Very true, it was great meeting you girls!" She said, giving them brief hugs before inviting another VMA nominee forward.

The girls continued to bee line through the red carpet area, meeting anxious fans who were practically throwing themselves over the gates that kept them apart. Lauren really wished that she could treat all of her fans as well as they treated her, but it was simply impossible, so in every picture the lucky ones got, Lauren beamed like it would be her last smile.

"Lauren, we have to go," Dinah ordered, waving at the fans, who went crazy just by the sight of Lauren's bodyguard, because they were _that_ involved.

"Okay," Lauren nodded, but she turned to the girls and shouted, "I love you," And blew a giant kiss at them before clasping Camila's hands again.

Dinah led the two into the auditorium esque building, which was already piling up with celebrities and a few fortunate people who got tickets to the show. Dinah showed the girls right to their seats, and made sure they were settled and comfortable before she headed back to the trailer.

"She's such a mom," Camila grinned, watching Dinah as she made her way out of the building.

"So is Ally," Lauren nodded, "Is Normani like that with you?"

Camila shrugged her barren shoulders, "I never really got that from Normani, she's more like my best friend than anything. Then again, I wasn't thrust into the show business the minute I was born."

"I can't even remember what life was like before I was being memorialized on a theater screen," Lauren confessed, a bit heart broken that she had never lived a normal life.

"We have our own downtime though," Camila tried, biting her lip, "I feel more alive with you than I ever have before."

Lauren grinned, putting her hand on Camila's knee, "You're so unbelievably sweet, god I can't stand you," Lauren teased lovingly, and in this moment, in the blinding lights of the VMA theater, Lauren thought that maybe she might just be in love.

The show started soon, and halfway through, Camila vanished backstage to get ready for her huge performance. Lauren spent her time without Camila rudely messaging away on her phone, and posting videos to Snapchat. An emerging rapper performed a mediocre performance, some teen movie won an award, and before Lauren knew it, the four members from the ensemble One Direction were gracing the stage.

"Based on our own rise to fame, we know that some of the best celebrities always start young, and maintain a long career," Liam Payne commented into the microphone, and then he passed the microphone to Harry.

"We hope this is the case for our next performer, the fully fledged new Pop Princess, Camila Cabello!" Harry Styles announced, and then the main stage flashed white with sparkles, and Camila stepped out from the shadows.

Instead of wearing the black bodice from earlier, Camila was decked out in a sailor's jacket, with a matching hat adoring her elongated dark hair. The coat reached mid thigh, and Camila was sported a pair of wedged heels, which looked awfully uncomfortable. Lauren swallowed, taking in the sight of her girlfriend on stage, showing herself off the the whole world.

The summer smasher's beat started blaring through the room, and Camila licked her lips seductively before leaning up to the diamond encrusted microphone. Camila did some ad libs into the microphone, and then a tiny dance sequence came up, and Lauren was in awe.

 _I don't admit it_  
_I play it cool_  
_But every minute_  
_That I'm with you_

Camila belted out the lyrics to the song Lauren had heard playing on the Top 40 radio, but never before had she seen it performed right in front of her. Sure, Camila would hum various parts of her songs while she was with Lauren, but never did she put on a big show production.

Lauren stared intently at Camila while she stripped off her jacket, letting it fall to the floor as she popped her tiny chest out. Lauren felt like she was going to erupt into a million pieces because the way Camila moved on stage did things to her, and Lauren couldn't help but be completely turned on and a hundred percent attracted to her girlfriend.

The scene unfolded in front of Lauren, blurring together like a wet dream. Camila grabbed onto the microphone stand and used it as a makeshift pole, winding her body down sexually and bouncing only a few inches up from the ground. Lauren squeezed the armrest of her seat so tightly she was sure that she left fingernail indentions, but that was the last thing she was thinking about right now.

Throughout their relationship, sex was always a side note, and it hadn't even happened yet. Lauren and Camila barely even discussed the topic, since they were both virgins, but now, it was the only conversation Lauren wanted to have. She watched the way her girlfriend moved on stage, and couldn't help but feel like she was a viewer at a strip club, hungrily taking in every move, every body roll, and every facial expression.

Unfortunately, the performance came to an end, and Lauren had to wipe her sweating palms on her dress, and she was sure that her hands weren't the only things that were soaked.

About ten minutes later, Camila returned, plopping down in her seat, and giving Lauren an elated facial expression.

"Was I good?" Camila asked.

Lauren gritted through her teeth, "Go to the bathroom with me," She ordered, and Camila's eyes widened.

Camila obliged, following Lauren out of their seats, and to the elegant bathroom that sat in the outer area of the venue. Once they arrived inside of the bathroom, Lauren closed the door, turned the lock, and lunged for Camila, who was taken by surprise from the sudden embrace.

Lauren planted a sloppy kiss on Camila's lips, and she immediately moved her hands to Camila's waist, driven by lust. Camila kissed back, putting her hands around Lauren's neck, and running them through her straightened hair.

Camila pulled back, asking, "What's this about?"

"You can't tease me like that on stage," Lauren panted, biting her swollen lip, "I want you so bad," Lauren said, attempting to pick up where they left off.

Camila retracted her head a little bit, "You mean, right here? Right now? Lauren, can't we at least until we get back to your place?" Camila queried, thumbing the nape of Lauren's neck, "It will be so much more special there, instead of some bathroom at a venue house."

Lauren sighed, "You're right, but you're still a fucking tease for making me wait."

Camila grinned, planting a kiss on her girlfriend's lips, and then they went back out into the show room, where they were just announcing Camila as the winner for the best music video of the year award.

Smirking, Lauren could tell that the media was going to have a field day with a completely out of breath and disheveled Camila on stage, accepting her award. Like Lauren mentioned earlier, no press is bad press.


	10. Sheets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, but I've been suffering through some major writer's block.

Warm, wrinkled bed sheets, indented pillows, ruffled blankets, and Camila's tangled hair was the first sight Lauren saw when she awoke the next morning. Of course, it wasn't the only time they had woken up in this dazed out state, but this time around, this bright Monday morning was unlike any other.

Lauren's nose was buried in the soft waves of Camila's hair, which gave off a smell of fruity shampoo. Lauren nuzzled closer to her girlfriend, their legs intertwined like ropes of an anchor and their bodies were a beautiful, tangled mess.

"Good morning," Camila sang, lightness and love flowing out of her soft lips, "God, I can't believe that happened."

Lauren grinned to herself, sparks flying like the fourth of July between them, "All of this seems so surreal, between you, and us, and my life," Lauren sighed, because with Camila, she left the vices and virtues of being a famous actress in the dusk, and indulged in her own personal tranquility.

Especially after the events of the night before. Lauren opted to take her own car home, her pedal touching the floor the entire way home. Camila rested her dainty hands on Lauren's cold thigh, taunting and teasing her with tempting touches. When they got back to Lauren's penthouse, Lauren had kicked her multiple thousand dollar dress off like it was a plastic bag, and proceeded to lose her virginity.

The night couldn't detach itself from Lauren's mind: adrenaline rushed through her veins, love pulsed the beat of her heart, and the stars in Camila's eyes took Lauren back home, to her roots of being a selfless girl who gave too many chances and let so many unwilling people leave their scarring foot prints all over her.

Camila flipped over, now nose to nose with her girlfriend. Their eyes met, emerald into coffee, and they gave each other a knowing smile, because since they indulged in a night of drunken love and rustled sheets, the never ending bond between them was stronger than ever.

"Are you going to at least make me breakfast?" Camila inquired, a smirk dancing playfully on her lips.

Lauren let out a throaty laugh, "I don't know, is that common procedure after you have sex with someone? Because I wouldn't know," Lauren said, prodding at her own prudishness.

Camila shrugged lightly, leaning into Lauren's shoulder, "We can make breakfast together," Camila suggested, lifting her eyebrows as she smiled.

"Okay," Lauren obliged, jumping out of the bed, giving Camila a competitive look, "Last one to the kitchen has to cook!" Lauren shouted, letting her feet slap against the hardwood floors as she illegally took a head start on the bet.

"Hey! No fair!" Camila yelled, following close behind Lauren, flailing her skinny arms in front of her, attempting to grab her girlfriend, "Cheater!" She giggled out, clasping a hand on the counter top.

"Ha! I won," Lauren bragged, leaning over the marble counter top to make eye contact with Camila, "Now you have to make me breakfast," Lauren stated, poking her head forward, planting a dainty kiss on Camila's cheek.

"Can't complain," Camila stated, padding over to Lauren's stainless steel refrigerator, tapping her chin lightly as she studied the plethora of food items inside, "How about we make pancakes? My mom taught me how to make them from scratch when I was just a tiny mija." Camila grinned, tugging the milk carton out of its slot.

Lauren leaned against the counter with her head resting upon her fist, and she watched as Camila ransacked the kitchen of her penthouse for pancake ingredients.

When all the ingredients were laid out in front of her, Camila began taking measurements, eying them carefully to make sure she had just the right amount. The bowl was starting to fill up, and as Camila was stirring the contents together, Lauren had an idea that was both childish and ingenious.

Lauren pinched her index finger and thumb together in the bag of flour, obtaining the powdery substance in her hand. She waited until Camila looked completely content with her stirring, and then Lauren went in for the kill. Lauren flicked the flour out of her finger, and right below Camila's eyelashes, the powder resting on her tanned cheeks. Camila whipped her head around, her mouth agape.

"You did not just do that!" Camila yelled in a playful tone, reaching her fingers into the bag of flour.

Lauren squealed, running away from Camila, "You better not!"

"It's payback," Camila claimed, chasing after Lauren, indirectly getting specks of flour all over her hardwood floor. Camila took a chance and tossed the powder, splattering the white flour in Lauren's dark hair, "Got you!"

Lauren almost collapsed to the ground from giggling so much. To gain stability, Lauren gripped onto the back of her dining room chair, letting out her laughter while trying to simultaneously regain her breath. She ran her fingers through her hair, letting the powder come loose, and Lauren thought that she needed to phone the maid later.

"Okay, okay. Now we're even," Lauren said, chuckling out another laugh, "Now continue making my pancakes," Lauren joked.

Camila headed back over to the bowl of ingredients, and while she steadily stirred everything together, Lauren bit her lip as she pulled a bag of chocolate chips out of the pantry, and tossed a handful of the sweet chips into the batter.

"Lauren!" Camila wailed, sighing as she eyed her pancake batter, "Well, at least chocolate chips are good," Camila said, a bit defeated.

A short while later, Camila was piling sizzling pancakes onto a plate, leaving Lauren to drown the hot cakes in a waterfall of thick, maple syrup. By time the batch was finished, Lauren had already shoveled an entire pancake into her mouth.

"These are good," Lauren moaned, letting the flapjack melt in her mouth.

"That's only because I made them," Camila teased, poking Lauren lightly with her fork, "The chocolate chips were a great addition, though."

"Hmm," Lauren hummed, cutting off another piece of the pancake and putting it in her mouth.

When Lauren and Camila finished, they shared the duty of washing the dishes. Camila wiped down the plates, using way too much soap and making the water too hot, while Lauren scrubbed a towel over the warm plates. Unbelievably, this was the first time Lauren had ever done dishes, and while her character on the Disney Channel despised them, Lauren felt domestic, like a housewife from the 1950s.

"Do you ever think about the future?" Camila queried, breaking the silence.

Lauren tilted her head, because honestly, she hadn't. The future seemed so far away, especially since Lauren's life had already been so well lived. Lauren had achieved more in almost a quarter of a century than anyone leading a normal life could, and with that, the future seemed so open for possibilities, that Lauren couldn't limit herself to one small plan.

"I don't know, not really," Lauren admitted, and by the way Camila's face fell, Lauren could tell that she gave the wrong answer, "I mean, I could see a future with us, if that's what you were asking."

Camila shied away into her shoulder, "I kind of was, I'm not good at being subtle."

"Hopefully there is a future for us," Lauren suggested, leaning her head onto Camila's, "If there isn't, I'm giving up on love."

"Me too," Camila retorted, and for the next few days, Lauren wholeheartedly believed it.


	11. Drunk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is written hazily and a bit choppy, but it fits with the theme, I promise.

Turning her cell phone off might have been the worst mistake Lauren Jauregui had ever made.

An Oprah interview, a Ryan Seacrest radio promotion, and a M! Magazine photo shoot later, Lauren finally rested on the warm cushions of the limousine, and fished her cell phone out of her designer tote bag. She held down the side button, watching the black Apple logo illuminate the white screen, and eventually, the adorable photograph of Camila snuggled up on the couch in her most embarrassing pajamas showed up. Lauren smiled to herself, recalling the night she took the photo, but quickly, her phone began to flood with missed calls and text messages.

**_Camila_ **

_hey i'm not going to be able to hang tonight. mani and i are having a girl's night in. love you. - 1:42_

Lauren slanted her lips, a bit disappointed, but she continued to read the messages.

_**Ally** _

_Lauren, I know you're absolutely exhausted, but tonight is the opening of that new nightclub, Aqua Seas. You're supposed to show up and have a great time, all photographs and drinks are on the house, you're not going to want to miss it. You're going, whether you like it or not. Camila can come as well, more famous faces, more promo. Call me when you get time. - 3:28_

Lauren sighed, unlocking her cell phone, and dialing Ally's number immediately.

"Hey, I'm glad you called," Ally greeted, the background behind her noisy, and Lauren thought that she was probably at a meeting of some sort.

"I'm in," Lauren said, biting the inside of her cheek.

# ☾

After a long, hot shower and an hour in hair and makeup later, Lauren took root in the back entrance of the night club, where several other familiar faces stood. Taylor and Calvin were at the head of the line, a few members from Five Seconds of Summer were littered around the entryway, and in front of Lauren stood Louis Tomlinson from One Direction.

Lauren tapped him on the back, because she honestly had no one else to talk to without Camila or Ally around.

Louis turned around, immediately making eye contact with Lauren, who was fiddling with the skirts of her frumpy dress.

"Hey," Louis said, grinning a bit, "You're that girl from, uh shit, what's it called? That cheesy romantic movie that Harry always forces me to watch," Louis commented, his eyes glittering at the mention of Harry, "Lauren Jauregui, that's your name. Hey."

"That's me," Lauren commented awkwardly, "And you're that guy from that band, uh shit, what's it called?" Lauren said, looking up and tapping her chin sarcastically, "One Dimension? Two Erection? I can't remember," Lauren said, soliciting a hearty laugh from Louis.

"Oh, come on, don't be like that," Louis replied, letting an uncomfortable silence fall between them before asking, "Is it okay if I stick around with you tonight? If I'm being honest, I came here with Niall, and he's already off being a ladies' man, and I am not about that life," Louis commented, "I really don't want to watch Niall attempt to put his grubby hands up some girl's skirt all night."

Lauren nodded, letting her inner seventeen year old fan girl scream on the inside, "Of course, only if you want to get absolutely blackout drunk, sit in the corner, and act like we're cooler than everyone here."

"You know me so well," Louis responded.

They proceeded to make small talk about each other, taking that this is one of the first times they've personally met. The two had taken a picture together at an awards show ages ago, but Lauren probably would have forgotten if she weren't a large One Direction fan, and she assumed Louis wasn't that familiar with her work.

An intimidating, bald headed man was the bouncer. The man took one glance at Louis and Lauren and ushered them into the sleek building.

The interior was expected, pulsating lights, a large bar, a dance floor, and cushioned couches where unlikely couples were lined up, spilling drinks on each other as they made out. It had been a few months since Lauren had stepped into a club, going as far back as her pre Camila Cabello era, which seemed like forever ago.

Louis nudged Lauren on the arm, "Let's go get a drink," He offered, leading the girl over to the bar.

Lauren shouted out her order, which was something fruity with a lot of alcohol, just how she liked it. Louis got something a bit lighter, and when Lauren went to pull a couple twenty dollar bills out from her wallet, Louis shook his head.

"I've got it," Louis said, tossing the total at the bartender.

"You didn't have to do that," Lauren yelled over the music, furrowing her eyebrows together.

Louis shrugged, "What are friends for?" He asked, grabbing the drinks from the marble counter top.

The pair bee lined over to one of the rounded couches, where Niall was sat with nose nuzzled into her neck, whispering sweet nothings that wouldn't mean a thing by time the sun rose.

Louis made it a point to bump into his band mate when he and Lauren inched toward the empty spots on the couch. Niall took this lightly, backing away from the girl before asking her to do something for him, and she obliged, standing up, and leaving.

Niall turned his attention to Louis and said, "She's a solid six. Not sure if I like her though, too much perfume," Niall joked.

"So shallow," Louis shook his head, covering his smirk with his cup, "Eh, I don't mean to be rude, Niall, this is Lauren Jauregui, she's an actress."

"Nice to meet ya," Niall said, thrusting his hand out for a shake. Lauren took it willingly, and Niall gripped her hand, winking at the girl. Lauren's inner fan girl just had a stroke and died.

"She's taken, so don't get any ideas," Louis replied, and this caught Lauren off guard, but then she remembered that her relationship with Camila was blown up and more publicized than any of the One Direction relationships so far, including ones with Taylor Swift.

Niall tsked, "What a shame, I would say you're a borderline ten," Niall flirted, and Louis smacked him on the arm.

"Thanks," Lauren blurted out, a little too giddy to be so close to her teenage heart throb.

Louis pulled a cigarette out of a carton in his back pocket, and offered one of the white death sticks to Lauren. She properly declined, and he lit it up himself, contributing to the already alcohol and smoke induced atmosphere of the club.

Photographers rolled around some time later, snapping their cameras in the faces of every majorly important person. When a stocky paparazzi with a beard approached Lauren, Louis, and Niall, they all smashed together on the couch, leaning into each other in their drunken haze.

A photo booth type contraption was brought in as well, and Niall suggested that the three of them should take photos together. Lauren and Louis wearily agreed, following the buzzed Niall to the seemingly childish picture taker. The trio crammed into the photo booth, and by the time all the pictures were taken, Lauren was dizzy from not only the flashing lights, but also from the large amount of alcohol she had consumed throughout the night.

Lauren stumbled out of the photo booth, and Louis caught her arm when she almost fell.

"You alright, Lauren?" Louis asked, and Lauren flickered her irises up to him, seeing double through the strobe lights.

"Yes, I'm fucking drunk," Lauren slurred out.

Louis eyed her, still gripping her arm, "How about I call a limousine and I take you back to your house," Louis suggested, obviously worried about his new friend.

Lauren nodded, and Louis led her back over to the couch where Niall was sat, chugging down another pint. Lauren rested her head on Niall's shoulder, and said, "How can you drink so much? I can't handle my alcohol," Lauren said, without even thinking.

Niall looked down at the drunken Lauren, "You get used to it after a while."

Just then, lights rapidly flashed in front of them. Lauren shielded her already burning eyes from the bright lights of the camera.

"Fuck off," Lauren spat, the alcohol sizzling in her throat.

"Lauren, the limo is here," Louis said, returning without Lauren's notice. She thought that maybe she had passed out and didn't know it, but she wasn't sure.

"Okay," Lauren mumbled, returning a wave to Niall.

Once again, Lauren almost stumbled over her ridiculously high stilettos, so Louis grabbed onto her hand. They walked out the front entrance of the club, and of course, paparazzi were swarming the place like the President of the United States was inside, getting crunk to Folk music.

Louis helped Lauren get in the limo, and even fended off some of the crazed media mites. She immediately rested her head back on the car seat, her forehead already pounding with the anticipation of a hangover. Louis slammed the limousine door, causing Lauren's head to pulsate even more.

"Sorry, they just wouldn't back off," Louis commented.

"It's okay, thanks for taking me home," Lauren said, not even caring that her statement could be taken as a terrible One Direction pun.

"Like I said, that's what friends are for, right?" Louis repeated, and then, they were silent for the rest of the way back to Lauren's penthouse.

About twenty minutes later, Louis was dragging Lauren by her hand into the front doors of her complex. The rabid paparazzi had followed them all the way home, and Lauren was too drunk to think what the headlines would look like tomorrow. Louis helped Lauren into the elevator, and she insisted that she could take it from here.

"Text me so I know you got upstairs safe," Louis bid, saying farewell to Lauren before the elevator doors closed, and she was utterly wasted and alone in an elevator.


	12. Blur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I can't remember what I did last night...
> 
> (I listened to Blur by Britney Spears a lot while writing this chapter, so if you want to, do so.)

At around eight in the morning, Lauren finally rolled out of bed, and lazily padded into her larger than life bathroom. One glance in the mirror and Lauren could tell that today was going to be terrible, because her appearance was absolutely atrocious: her makeup was smeared across her eyes like a racoon, her raven locks were tangled beyond belief, and Lauren's complexion matched her pearl counter tops.

Lauren put her head in her hands, and silently asked herself what the hell happened last night.

Thankfully, her medicine cabinet was stocked with bottles upon bottles of Advil, so Lauren popped open the cap and swallowed two of the tiny pills completely dry. After that, she followed her usual morning routine of using the restroom, but she skipped the shower, because her level of energy was currently resting at a helpless infant. Lauren oozed toothpaste onto her electrical toothbrush, and scrubbed away the taste of alcohol and cherry lip balm from her mouth.

Lauren stumbled into the kitchen, slightly tripping over her high heels that she had kicked off the night before. Lauren shoved them out of the way with her foot, and continued making her way toward the fridge to retrieve one of her bottled ice coffees.

Before Lauren even had the chance to relax and try to melt away her hangover, a rapid knocking sounded at her front door.

"Who the fuck is it?" Lauren asked rudely, cradling her pounding head in her hands.

"It's Ally, and I'm letting myself in, we need to talk, _now_ ," Ally demanded, turning the key in the lock, and pushing open the door with so much force, Lauren jumped in her seat.

Ally rushed into the penthouse, her hands overflowing with papers and magazines. She released the load in front of Lauren, almost causing her coffee to spill onto the ground. Lauren glanced over the stack, which awkwardly hid Ally from sight.

"What's this?" Lauren queried, sweeping a magazine off the top of the stack.

The magazine was littered with the traditional garbage about various celebrity scandals and stories about finding the light, and then Lauren's eyes landed on the most blown up image on the front cover. Under the Star Magazine logo was Lauren, her face fallen, her eyes flickered up in an obviously drunk manor. These types of photographs had been released before, but unlike previous pictures, Lauren's hand was intertwined with Louis Tomlinson's.

"You think that's bad? Turn the page," Ally scowled, and Lauren hadn't seen her assistant this angry in a very long time.

Lauren flipped through the pages, and right on the hot gossip section were more photographs of Lauren, drunk out of her mind, holding hands with Louis Tomlinson, resting her head on Niall Horan, more pictures of Louis and Lauren in the limousine together, and worst of all, the photos of them holding hands outside of her apartment complex, entering together. Lauren sobered up pretty quickly when she feasted her eyes on the photographs.

"Oh my God," Lauren muttered out, eying the cheesy headline that read, _Lauren Goes in More Than One Direction_.

"This is bad Lauren, really bad! What the hell happened last night?" Ally asked, using her definition of strong language, and that's when Lauren knew that this was really serious.

Lauren racked her brain, trying to string together her memories from the night before, "We're all just friends, I promise. Nothing happened, we were just hanging out. Louis got worried because I got piss drunk, so he escorted me home. He left after putting me in the elevator, and, hold on," Lauren said, getting off the stool to retrieve her phone.

When Lauren returned, she pulled up the text message she sent to Louis the night previous, telling him that she had gotten up to her penthouse safely.

"Look, Ally, I promise, nothing happened," Lauren whined, shoving the dimly lit iPhone screen in her assistant's face.

Ally glazed her eyes across Lauren's convincing expression, and then she stated, "I believe you, but the media is going insane. How could you be so careless? You're in a promotional relationship, which bloomed into your first actual relationship, and this is how you repay yourself?"

"I didn't do anything wrong!" Lauren wailed, throwing her arms in frustration, "Is it against the law for boys and girls to sit in the same vehicle?"

"No," Ally stated, biting her lip, "But you know how the media will spin the smallest story to make it into a huge ordeal. Don't worry about it, just post something shady on your Tumblr, and it will be done with, hopefully. This whole Louren ordeal is just speculation," Ally assured.

Lauren furrowed her eyebrows together, "We have a ship name?" She yelled, wanting to shred every page in the magazines that were stacked on her counter.

"Yes," Ally answered, "I know it looks bad, but this is all going to blow over soon. I mean, all we have to do is make sure you and Camila are seen out today, happy and in love. Damage control is the answer to every bump in the road, remember?" Ally said, patting Lauren on the shoulder sympathetically.

Lauren nodded, and a single tear rolled down her cheek, "I'm going to go call Camila and make plans for today," Lauren said, waving her phone up, a bit defeated.

"Okay, I'll be in here if you need me," Ally commented, inviting herself to stay with Lauren.

Lauren dialed Camila's number, holding the phone up to her ear as the phone rang. She tapped her foot against her bedroom floor, hunched over on top of her ruffled bed sheets. The call went to voice mail, and Lauren hung up, then tried again.

Camila picked up on the third ring of the second phone call, and answered with a broken, "What?"

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Lauren joked, waiting for Camila to giggle on the other line, but she didn't, so Lauren began to change the subject, "So, uh, do you want to go grab lunch today? I'm really in the mood for Panera, their broccoli and cheddar soup saved-"

"I don't want to go anywhere with you," Camila interrupted, her tone harsh, and unlike anything Lauren had ever heard from Camila before.

"Why?" Lauren queried.

Camila huffed out heavily into the receiver, "Stop playing dumb, Lauren. I put myself on the fucking line for you, and you had me convinced that you were different. Remember when you proved me wrong? When you told us that we were real, and I believed you, but now you're out getting drunk and loved up with people that aren't me. You could have called me Lauren, I would have been there in an instant, but instead, you're taking Louis Tomlinson home and doing God knows what. That makes me look like an idiot, because here I am, completely and foolishly in love with you, and what are you, Lauren? Is this your way of making your promotional relationships look legitimate? By fucking other people over? Whatever, Lauren, I'm done, I can't do this anymore."

"You're overreacting, Camila, just listen to me, it's not like that," Lauren cried out, "How could you ever doubt that I'm in love with you? I'm fucking scared, Camila, I'm terrified. You're so amazing and unobtainable that it scares the shit out of me, do you think all of this was a lie?"

"I don't know, you tell me," Camila snapped, hanging up the phone.

Lauren attempted to call her back, but the phone didn't even ring, and went straight to voice mail. Lauren let out a grunt of frustration, tossing her phone away from her as her chest welled up with every awful emotion she had ever felt. The pressure of losing a first, and true, love weighed down on Lauren, like the walls were crumbling down around her, leaving Lauren alone, completely isolated from everything she's felt over the past few months.

Ally rushed into the room, latching onto the sobbing Lauren like it were her injured child, and didn't question her as Lauren cried out the Pacific Ocean.

"I know, I know," Ally consoled, petting Lauren's hair with her dainty hands, "Let it out, sweetheart, this is all going to be okay. Just let it out, you're beautiful, you're worth it, you're kind..." Ally started, sputtering out compliments in an attempt to be the dam to the overflowing stream of tears.

"She said I didn't love her," Lauren choked out between sobs, and then, the droplets started to fall quicker.

"You do, she just needs some time to realize that she's overreacting," Ally assured, "How about you shower and I'll do your makeup really nice, and we go to your favorite restaurant, bring food home, and watch Nicholas Sparks movies?" Ally suggested, patting her hand on Lauren's back.

Lauren nodded, sobbing as she waddled toward her bathroom, ready to let the beads from the shower head morph with the sadness that poured from her emerald eyes.


	13. Ruins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When I was on stage and I was thinking of… I know her, though. I know her heart, and I know what she wouldn’t do to hurt me. But I didn’t realize that feeling so confident, feeling so great about myself and then it just be completely shattered. By one thing. By something so stupid. But then you make me feel crazy, you make me feel like it’s my fault. I was in pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I apologize for the wait.

"Lauren," Ally beckoned, her tone defeated and heartbreaking, "Come on, it's the big day. You're going to have to get out of bed sometime," Ally stated, knocking once again on the locked bedroom door.

"Go away," Lauren muttered, spreading herself around in her lonely, king sized bed.

Ever since Lauren and Camila had their falling out over a cliche misunderstanding, Lauren had retreated to her bedroom. Cancelled appearances, missed interviews, and shying away from the media became Lauren's life for the last few weeks. One night, Ally let her stay home alone, and in that time, Lauren took a pair of scissors to her hair, and snipped away the lengthy waves. When Ally stopped by the next morning with a chai latte and a bagel, her mouth fell agape as she stared at Lauren's straight, shoulder length hairstyle.

The reason for the sudden change was that Lauren couldn't stand looking in the mirror anymore. Her appearance was exactly the same when she was with Camila, and Lauren couldn't help but recall how Camila's long fingers used to brush through her tangled hair. Lauren felt helpless in the situation, and hair was a factor she could change, so she did.

On a good day, Lauren would accompany Ally to small events, like going out for lunch or visiting a bookstore. Ally begged Lauren to go out and see the light, letting the sun flash against her face so brightly that Lauren wished it would burn her face off.

The media was in a craze, releasing exaggerated articles and headlines featuring the worst pictures of Lauren, with large, bold text that read 'America's Sweetheart is now America's Tragedy" plastering magazines. Ally tried her best to accumulate the papers, and had Lauren's PR team control what articles could and couldn't be released.

Hashtag Camren eventually wrapped up to an end, with Camila tweeting passive aggressive messages aimed toward Lauren, and made up lyrics, which Lauren could only assume were material for her new songs. On a warm august night, Camila played at an end of summer bash, and performed a cover of Justin Timberlake's 'Cry Me a River', saying it was dedicated to a certain girl who broke her heart. Lauren had to switch off her laptop, and spent the night weeping into her pillow.

Ally rapped on the door again, sighing incredibly loud before saying, "Lauren, please. You have to go to the movie premiere, you're the main attraction, everyone is going to be looking at _you_ ," Ally assured, leaning her head against the closed door.

Lauren tossed the blankets aside, swung her feet over the bed, and stomped over to the locked door. She swiped the lock open, and pulled the door back with great force.

"No one is going to be looking at Lauren Jauregui the actress, everyone is going to be focused on Lauren Jauregui, the ex girlfriend of Camila Cabello, who is also her co star. The media circus is going to be at an all time high tonight, and I really don't want to deal with it," Lauren snapped, blinking back tears, and recalling how many times she tried to explain the situation to Camila.

The whole situation was useless, and even though Lauren attempted to straighten their relationship out in great lengths, Camila didn't believe her. Lauren had learned that pictures are worth a thousand words, and sometimes, the words are better left unsaid. Pictures can tell an entirely opposite, imaginative story than their actual context.

"All publicity is good publicity," Ally tried, forcing a sympathetic grin.

Lauren shook her head, "I can't go there tonight and see her, making the camera her bitch as she shows off her infinitely beautiful features and smiles like there's nothing wrong. I can't take cast photos with her and plaster an excited expression across my face. God forbid I have to sit through that movie, and watch us fall in love, both on screen and behind the lights. I can't fucking do it," Lauren finished, and by time she finished speaking, tears were spilling down her cheeks.

Ally placed a cold hand on Lauren's cheek, "You can, you're a strong girl, you just don't want to, and I understand that, but I will try to avert you away from her as much as I can. I promise, Lauren."

"You better keep it then," Lauren said, indirectly confirming that she would be stepping out of the penthouse tonight, and onto the red carpet.

# ☾

"You're strong, you're beautiful, you're intelligent, and you can do this," Ally assured, squeezing Lauren's hands in her own.

Lauren nodded, releasing Ally's hands from her own and standing up in front of the full length mirror. She admired her short, straightened hair that brushed against her bronzed shoulders, complimenting the the golden, sparkling dress that adorned her curvy body. Lauren spun around, watching the fringe at the end of her knee length dress swing around above her feet.

"I'm ready," Lauren said, turning on her golden heels to face Ally.

"Let's go, princess, it's your time to shine," Ally grinned like a proud mother, and then she held out her crooked elbow, "Let me be your escort for now, no beautiful girl deserves to go out there alone," Ally said, hooking elbows with Lauren.

"Ally," Lauren started, glancing over at her assistant, and her best friend, "Thank you for being there for me, like even when I'm being a spoiled bitch. When no one else is there, you are, and I love you for that, Ally," Lauren said, going soft for the moment.

"Aw, Lauren," Ally gushed, pulling them closer together, "Let's go get them," She said, and then they were off to the red carpet.

Thankfully, Camila was nowhere in sight, but her fans were raving wildly, waving their CDs and posters in the air as they lurched over the metal bar that kept them apart. Lauren approached the fans, which also held the movie's theatrical poster in their hands.

Lauren gave the fan's a light finger wave, "Hey, guys!" She greeted kindly, watching them scream, and even one girl burst into tears.

"Lauren, I love you, please sign my poster," One girl said, flapping the poster crazily in front of Lauren's face. Lauren obliged, sloppily writing her name across the bottom of the poster, averting her attention away from Camila's smiling face.

The line moved quickly, Lauren blotting her initials down on every t shirt, movie poster, and previous dvd boxes she passed. At the end of the line, she reached a girl who held nothing in her hands, but only grinned lovingly when Lauren approached her.

"What would you like me to sign, sweetie?" Lauren queried, eying the girl who had light brown hair.

The girl shrugged, "I just want to know if you're okay," She asked, the corners of her lips falling, "I've tried to meet you before, but you cancelled your appearance at the opening night for the restaurant my mother owns, and I know what sadness looks like, and ever since those pictures with Louis came out," The girl swallowed, brushing her hair back, "You haven't seemed the same."

Lauren blinked back at the fan, who genuinely seemed to care about her well being. Lauren wanted to fake a smile and tell the girl that she was fine to make the girl feel better, but all Lauren could do was reach forward, and give the girl a hug. She whispered a sullen, 'thank you' in her ear, and pulled back, patting her on the hand with tears welling up in her eyes.

"I love you, Lauren, and so many other people love you as well," The girl assured, gripping Lauren's fingers, "Don't give up so easily."

"I won't, for you," Lauren promised, squeezing the girl's hands.

"Do it for you, Lauren," The girl smiled.

Lauren unhinged the girl's elbow, and said, "Is it alright if I sign your arm?" She asked, flickering her eyes back up to make eye contact with the girl.

"Sure," The girl replied, "My name is Angela, by the way."

Grinning to herself, Lauren remembered that the name Angela meant an angel of sorts, and right now, this young girl was serving as Lauren's guardian. Lauren uncapped her sharpie, holding down the girl's enclosed fist as she signed her initials neatly on her wrist.

When she finished, Angela said, "I'm going to get this tattooed as soon as I leave," Angela traced her fingers over the sharpie marker, careful not to mess up the ink.

"That's a huge commitment," Lauren responded, "But it's your body, do what you want with it, and if I may, I think the tattoo will look wicked cool."

"Thank you, Lauren," Angela said, and right on cue, Ally and Dinah neared toward Lauren, apologizing as they basically dragged her away from the sea of fans. Lauren blew them a final kiss, and then moved closer to the red carpet.

The photographers began to notice her one by one, "And here's the main event of the night, Miss Lauren Jauregui herself!" A host called out, and cameras started snapping wildly.

Lauren blinked away the flash of the camera lights, which suddenly became so much brighter. Lauren felt like each crack of light began to break her more and more, leaving her to become a shattered mirror. Every call, every ounce of attention Lauren was attaining seemed unnecessary and painful at this point. Lauren used to love the heat of the camera lights on her face and the Hollywood breeze blowing her hair back, the palm trees moving past rapidly above her, but now she wanted to hop on a plane and go back home. The pressure of being famous was becoming to much, and the shine had worn off, and Lauren was now a shell of herself, broken and completely isolated.

"Smile for me, princess!" A photographer called, and Lauren hadn't even noticed that her face had rested into a tired expression. She forced out her pearly white, cocking her head moving her body sideways, showing off her tanned legs underneath her bronze dress.

"Lauren! Lauren!" An interviewer beckoned, motioning over to Lauren. Lauren gave the paparazzi a wave, and then made her way over to the interviewer, "There's our main star, adorned in a beautiful gold color. Wow, you sure do clean up nicely after a rough breakup," The blonde woman said, and Lauren's upper lip twitched, "How are you feeling?"

Even though Lauren wanted to tell the truth, the press wouldn't accept an unhappy star, and would publicly disgrace her worse than what she was already enduring. So Lauren plastered on a grin, and answered with a simple, "It's getting better each day."

"That's great to hear! Are you excited for the premiere tonight?" The woman asked, shoving the large microphone in Lauren's face.

"Of course!" Lauren responded, injecting the sunset into her voice, "This will actually be the first time I've seen the movie, I never got to watch the final cut."

"Well, I'm sure it's going to be monumental," The interviewer gushed, patting Lauren on the arm, "I just have to say that you look absolutely beautiful with your tanned skin and new haircut, it really suits you. Have a good night."

"You, too," Lauren muttered out, awkwardly stepping away from the woman, and toward the whirlwind of stardom.

There stood the rest of her cast, laughing and giggling in front of the backdrop of the red carpet. Lauren immediately stiffened up, wanting to run back to her dressing room and break down in tears, because Camila was standing tall, blatantly happy and chatting away with one of their male co actors.

Suddenly, Lauren whipped her hand around, searching for Ally or Dinah anywhere in the crowd. Dinah was easier to spot, being significantly taller than Ally, and Lauren waved in her direction, attracting her attention quickly.

Dinah ran over, accompanying Lauren as fast as she could, and then she asked, "What's wrong? Who did something? Are you hurt?" Dinah queried, inspecting Lauren's body.

"No one, I'm not injured, I don't want to be here," Lauren swallowed, feeling like a child who didn't get their way, but standing in the spotlight was only hurting her more than laying at home in bed was.

Dinah frowned, which was really uncommon, because whenever Lauren was with her, the girl always was vivacious and full of energy. Dinah responded, "This is supposed to be your night, but Ally explained to me what happened, and even if she hadn't, I would have figured it out eventually. The whole world is watching you, and if you walk out right now, things will only go downhill," Dinah assured, "Suffer through a few cast pictures, force a smile, and then I'll escort you and Ally out of the movie theater once it gets dark, and we'll hid out in the bathroom or something. You'll have to be back out for exiting pictures, though," Dinah compromised, and Lauren nodded.

"Fair enough, but please don't make me sit through that movie," Lauren begged, a tear slipping out of her eye.

"Stop crying," Dinah warned, "Don't ruin how pretty you look by being upset, tonight is all about you, enjoy it while it lasts," Dinah said, patting Lauren on the back, nodding toward the spot where the rest of the cast was standing.

Lauren nodded, taking one weary step at a time, joining the rest of her cast and the directing team, who were ready and waiting for the main event.

"There she is!" The director said, and everyone clapped, except for Camila, who just bit the inside of her cheek, and stared through Lauren like she wasn't even there.

"Alright everyone, get together," The photographer ordered, and once everyone was in place, she said, "Everyone say 'box office hit'!"

Everyone regurgitated the statement, jovial and lively as they smiled together for the photo. After a few snaps were taken, the crew stepped away, and walked off of the red carpet, getting wristbands as they went toward the cinema.

"Let's have a picture with the main star and the director," The woman demanded, shooing everyone else away.

Picture after picture was taken, and after Lauren had been photographed with everyone but Camila, she knew that the time was sure to come.

"Camila, come on, sweetheart, don't think I forgot about you," The photographer sweet talked, and Lauren gagged on the inside.

Camila stepped up, avoiding all eye contact with Lauren as they stood next to each other. Camila slid her arm around Lauren's waist, barely touching her at all, and cocking her head to the right, faking a grin that used to be genuine. Lauren raised the corners of her lips into a tiny smile, but all she wanted to do was run away and never look back.

"Great, let's wrap things up," The director called to no one in particular, and suddenly, like a foldable card, everyone compressed their belongings and ran a muck to clean up the red carpet.

Lauren detached herself from Camila, looking down at the ground, and she muttered out, "Don't pretend like you never loved me at all."

Camila turned to Lauren, and was about to ask her what she said out of habit, but she had heard her ex girlfriend clearly. Camila swallowed the lump in her throat, searching for words to form, because even though Lauren had consistently called Camila, she still didn't seem to have that confidence anymore.

"I do love you," Camila replied, her jaw stiffening, "I don't know if you can say the same."

Lauren's body heated up, and before she knew it, her mind took over, and her the dam inside of her broke, "That's such a load of shit, Camila. You threw a hissy fit over something so trivial, so stupid. If you're going to be a piss baby over a misunderstanding because you're too insecure to admit that you were wrong, then that's your own fucking problem," Lauren sassed, and she felt someone latch onto her arm.

"I'm getting you out of here before you ruin your relationship any more," Dinah growled in Lauren's ear, dragging her away from Camila, who stood alone with her mouth agape.

"I had to say it!" Lauren fired back, her voice shrill, "I'm not going to stand here and let her tell me that I was wrong. She's wrong for being so closed minded, she's being worse than the media!" Lauren spattered out, trying to suck in the tears that were about to flow.

Dinah led Lauren off of the red carpet, no rebuttal in response to her temper tantrum. Dinah acquired their wristbands, and led Lauren into the movie theater, catching a seat next to Ally, who was tossing popcorn into her mouth, oblivious to the freak show that just occurred outside of the venue.

"Are you ready, Lauren?" Ally asked, shaking Lauren's shoulder as soon as she sat down.

Lauren didn't answer, crossing her shoulders tightly over her chest as she pouted like a toddler.

"She's being a brat," Dinah answered, like any passive aggressive suburban mom would when their child was acting anything other than satisfactory.

Ally made an o shape with her mouth, and then promptly turned back to the screen, not wanting to cause a scene in the movie theater. Soon enough, the opening credits began, and even though the city scape of Los Angeles looked beautiful on screen, Lauren still stood up, and walked herself right out of the cinema without saying a word.


	14. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> M'appelle pas Friandise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be the final chapter, but I changed my mind and split it into two chapters. The second half will be posted soon.

"France is so beautiful this time of year, don't you agree, Lauren?" Ally asked, her wedged heels clacking against the stone encrusted roads of the foreign country, "One time, Troy and I took a trip here with some friends, and we kissed directly below the Eiffel Tower, it was the most romantic thing that ever happened to me," Ally gushed, nudging into Lauren, "I might still have it, hold on," Ally said, digging her phone out of her over the shoulder purse.

Lauren listened to Ally babble on about her perfectly magnificent love life, and Lauren couldn't held but focus on the large diamond ring that adorned her finger. In late September, Ally returned back to her ocean view apartment to find Troy standing alone in a room full of candles, tears in his eyes when she walked in. He popped the question, professing his love for her with great detail, and obviously, she obliged.

Their engagement was still going strong two weeks later, and when Ally wasn't talking business with Lauren, she was whipping out her planning binder, sifting through the pages. She had already claimed Lauren as her maid of honor, and Dinah would be standing next to her in line. Lauren was elated when Ally gave her the news, but after a while, the endless wedding dreams got a bit boring, and Lauren found herself zoning out more often than not.

The seasons had changed, and after a few more well managed, fairly equipped movie premieres, Lauren and the rest of the cast were flown up to Paris, France to do more promotion. The movie was an instant box office hit, racking up five star reviews and unconditional praise from the media. Lauren was proud at the creation, and finally allowed herself to watch it at the Miami Premiere, and that was only because she would be attending with her family. Lauren could act like a spoiled brat in front of Dinah and Ally, but she knew her parents wouldn't put up with it. Though sitting through a lesbian film with her parents was unbelievably awkward, they were proud nonetheless, and congratulated their daughter on her groundbreaking role.

While everything else was looking up, the only downside to the situation was Camila. After Lauren's last blowout went viral, she got pegged as emotionally distraught, and one magazine even wrote an open letter to her, begging her family to check her into therapy. Lauren had calmed down after a while, forcing terribly awkward smiles and standing stiffly next to Camila became the new normal. Lauren found herself yearning to call Camila hers again, to be able to hold her at night and come home to Camila in her bed, watching terrible reality shows, but as quickly as it came, the love was gone.

"Look, I found it," Ally stated, shoving her iPhone 6 into Lauren's face, "We need to get you a boyfriend or a girlfriend while we're here. Not even, maybe a fling, so you can get a picture like this. Or we could take one, like a best friend photo! And Dinah can come too, wouldn't that be fun?" Ally asked, and Lauren frowned, because her best friend was too innocent for this world.

Lauren shrugged her shoulders, "I feel like that type of thing is for people in love, you know? Why waste a romantic moment with someone you're not even sure you're going to be with forever. And plus, I'm not in love with anyone at the moment," Lauren lied, her heart figuratively sighing as it yearned for Camila.

Ally quietened up, and then asked in a hushed voice, "You're not in love with Camila anymore?"

"Love is something beautiful, it shouldn't make you want to curl up in a ball and die," Lauren answered, shielding her eyes away from the sun.

Frowning, Ally responded, "Do you think being in love is full of grassy meadows and rainbows? If you do, then you've spent too much time with your nose in a script, because love is about sacrifice and the ability to accept each others faults, and love them in spite of that," Ally lectured, "Now let's go get some ice cream."

Lauren nodded, trailing behind Ally as they head toward the outdoor bakery. Ally stood on her tip toes to meet the eyes of a boy about their age who was working the cash register. Lauren didn't pay any attention, pushing up the large sunglasses that shied her face away from the public, and she ran her fingers through her hair. Lauren's hair had begun to grow back, now reaching the top of her chest, and in a fit of craziness, Lauren drove herself to her stylist's home and demanded she dye her hair brown. The woman bit her lip, obliging, and three hours later, Lauren was on the way home, the Hollywood wind breezing through her caramel locks.

"Je voudrais une glace, s’il vous plaît," Ally smiled at the man, and she turned to Lauren, "What do you want?"

Lauren shrugged, "I don't care."

"Elle veut un croissant et un jus d'orange," Ally decided, and the cashier gave her the total, speaking in complete French dialect, while Ally's was more slow, due to her learning the language versus being born into it.

Seconds later, Ally exchanged the euros for the ice cream, the croissant, and the orange juice, and politely said thank you in French. Ally led Lauren to a patio table set out in the sun, decorated with a colorful umbrella to give them shade from the ominously hot sun. Ally handed Lauren her croissant, and dipped the plastic spoon in her vanilla ice cream.

This should have been paradise, but Lauren couldn't help but find the situation beautifully tragic. Lauren was so pathetic, because she was in the most beautiful place on Earth, and she still couldn't force herself to forget forever and focus on what was happening right now.

"Have you talked to Camila at all?" Ally queried, licking the cold substance off of her spoon.

Lauren hesitated, biting her lip, "Not since the last blowout," She admitted, even though a few drunk texts were sent in the weeks following, all unread, of course.

Ally sighed, crossing her bare legs under the table, "I wish you guys would at least talk about it. You had so much chemistry, and I honestly thought it was going to last for a long time," Ally confessed, "I can't see how two people so great for each other could fall out so easily."

"We didn't know what we were doing, neither of us had experience, and I was a wicked idiot," Lauren said, putting all of the blame on herself.

Lauren had replayed the events in her mind over and over again. Even though she was almost blackout drunk and her memory wasn't the best, she knew in her heart that she would never be unfaithful to Camila, let alone anyone. But when the media is cramming the same story down your throat day in and day out, you begin to believe it.

"None of this is your fault," Ally assured, "Camila should stop being a stubborn bitch," Ally commented, taking Lauren by surprise, because Lauren rarely heard her swear.

Part of Lauren wanted to agree, but on the other hand, she wanted to scold Ally for being so cold hearted toward Camila. Ally was being truthful, and even though Lauren knew it, she didn't want to believe that Camila was in the wrong.

Lauren gazed down into her orange juice, wishing that somehow a magical fairy would appear in the liquid, giving her advice for the future. At this point, Lauren furrowed her eyebrows, and knew she had completely and utterly lost her senses. And by getting that realization out in the open, Lauren came to the conclusion that she needed to talk to Camila, tonight.

# ☾

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Lauren drummed her fingernails across the end table in her hotel room, trying to kick start her thought process. She had been seated on top of her comforter for about an hour, biting her lip and tapping her fingers, procrastinating her confrontation with Camila. Even though she promised herself she would knock on Camila's door and plunge into the unknown, Lauren wanted to at least have a plan before she stormed the hotel room.

"Hey Camila, we need to talk," Lauren whispered to herself, and then shook her head, deciding that the nationally known break up talk wouldn't work in this situation.

Sighing, Lauren bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood, and forced herself to get off of the bed. Lauren's feet felt like they were tied to bricks as she made her way toward the door, undoing the hinge and turning the lock swiftly, and then she was off. 

Rain splattered against the exterior of the window, calming Lauren's nerves, and her superficial side was saying that this was a sign. The droplets of rain represented Lauren's courage to finally stand up to her former lover, metaphorically wiping Camila and Lauren's relationship clean.

Lauren ticked down the room numbers until she found the one Camila was staying in. Sucking in a harsh breath, Lauren crooked her elbow and balled her fingers down into a fist. Lauren licked her lips and closed her eyes, rapping her fist against the door, and when the knocks were done, her stomach sank.

Rustling was heard inside of the room, and a television playing the Friends theme was shut off. Foot steps neared toward the door, matching Lauren's pulsating heart, and the lock turned, causing another wave of adrenaline to coast over Lauren's senses.

The open door revealed a comfortable Camila, missing her usual light makeup and semi revealing clothes. The t shirt that draped itself across her shoulders had belonged to Lauren, and she suddenly realized that she hadn't lost her old school shirt, Camila had stolen it. The hem of the shirt skirted against the bottoms of Camila's shorts, and her knee high socks left a sliver of her legs unclothed. Lauren watched as Camila's expression fell, and instead of anger, her lips curved into a frown, her usually bright eyes dull and lifeless.

Lauren bit her lip, and then muttered out, "Hey, can I, um, come in?"

Camila stared back at Lauren, flicking her eyes toward the carpeted hotel hallway before stepping back, "Sure," Camila mumbled, and Lauren frowned, because this was the most hopeful interaction they've had in weeks.

The inside of Camila's hotel room was a bit cold, the temperature highly contrasting to the hallway outside. The sheets were ruffled up, the television was flicked off, and Camila's cell phone dinged with a new text message, illuminating the glass of juice that sat on her nightstand. Lauren stood awkwardly underneath the lamp, fiddling with her thumbs and wondering what she could possibly say.

The lock of the door clicked from the foyer of the hotel room, and Camila neared toward Lauren, looking a bit uneasy.

"So, what brings you here?" Camila asked politely, clearly still upset about the confrontation the couple had at the first movie premiere.

Lauren played with the hem of her shirt, "I owe you an apology," Lauren started, gulping heavily, "For publicly going off on you, that was really unnecessary, and I feel bad that I did that," Lauren confessed.

"I deserved it," Camila rebutted, shrugging, "I do admit that I did overreact," Camila acknowledged, "I miss you, Lauren. Like I really miss holding you, and right now I can see that wild, loving look in your eyes, and I want that back so much it hurts. I fucked up, and I'm sorry that I completely cut you off without even letting you explain," Camila vented, breaking for the first time in months.

Blinking back at her, Lauren cleared her throat, attempting to cleanse herself of the sadness that washed over her, "Could we do that? Can we just pretend like none of this ever happened? I don't want to walk on egg shells around you anymore," Lauren sighed, like she was abandoning all hope, "If it helps, I never stopped loving you."

"We can't live a fairytale, Lauren," Camila started, crossing her arms across her chest, "I mean, relationships have issues, and I guess we're going to have to work through this. I admitted I was wrong, and I hope you forgive me for being a psycho girlfriend, but I don't know if I'm ready to jump straight back into...us again," Camila said, squeezing her own forearm, "So for now, let's just be friends again and see what path we take from there," Camila suggested awkwardly.

Lauren's heart shattered when the word 'friend' rolled out of Camila's lips like smoke from a cigarette, intoxicating and slowly ruining Lauren on the inside. If Lauren hadn't already broken down in tears nearly every day previous to now, she would be crying right now, but Lauren swallowed her pride, and put on her game face. Remaining friends with Camila would have to be her reality from now on, even though Lauren couldn't help but imagine pressing their lips together once again, letting their love blossom into something beautiful and untouchable.

The distance between Lauren and Camila was so close, but so far away, and Lauren couldn't help her disappointment.

But Lauren wasn't going to ruin the chance she was given, so she forced a smile, and replied, "Okay, great, friends again."


	15. Eiffel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turn the lights off, I'm in love...  
> Wouldn't you like to kiss her?  
> Wouldn't you like to dance with her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter, yay!! I apologize for the wait, I've been rather busy lately, and haven't been able to write something both beautifully and efficiently. This is defintiely the final chapter, and I'm sorry for any confusion I caused by splitting this chapter and chapter fifteen into separate parts. I hope this gives the story a happy ending, and I love everyone who's stuck with this story over the past month. Thank you.

A soft breeze tumbled across the streets of Paris, gusting passed the bustling townspeople and tourists, calming the seemingly fast lifestyle of the city. Lauren wrapped herself in her beige hued trench coat, glad that Ally forced her to wear it out of her hotel room. Lauren felt a bit silly, wearing a coat with rounded, over sized sunglasses in October, but while the sun was beaming through the clouds, the weather was fair, and honestly, beautiful.

In a fit of tourist syndrome, Ally woke Lauren up early that morning by laying on top of her and poking at her cheeks, insisting that they spend an entire day sightseeing. Lauren obliged, even though Ally practically had pushed her out of the house, and picked up Dinah on the way. Their first stop was to a bakery located in the outskirts of the city, and Ally had insisted on ordering everything herself, surprising her two friends with French goodies.

Dinah tapped away on her iPhone, and Lauren could see that she was on Instagram, swiping through the filter options for a photograph.

"What are you posting?" Lauren asked, leaning her elbows on the table so she could get a closer look.

Shielding her phone away, Dinah replied, "Just a cute candid of you."

Lauren gasped, "No don't! I look like a piece of wood with legs," Lauren commented, pulling her sunglasses down off the bridge of her nose.

Just then, Lauren's phone buzzed with an Instagram notification, telling her that she had been tagged in a photo. Lauren swiped right on her phone, and the picture revealed itself in front of her. The photograph already had a couple hundred likes, and Lauren eyed herself, sitting pretty in the patio chair. The sun hit Lauren's face in the most perfect way, and her short, brown hair swept over the shoulder of her trench coat. Lauren's sunglasses sat perched on her button nose, her lips parted slightly as she watched unknowing pedestrians. The picture seemed so posed, but Lauren couldn't be caught more off guard.

"How do you do that, Lo," Dinah questioned, shaking her head, "If I get caught behind the scenes, I literally look so bad, like I have to spend several minutes finding a good angle and pose," Dinah pouted, and Lauren scoffed.

"Dinah, you're the queen of selfies, be quite girl," Lauren teased, grinning genuinely.

Beaming with her, Dinah commented, "Hey, there's that gorgeous smile. I missed it Lauren, I miss you," Dinah said, suddenly causing their conversation to get rather sad, "You haven't been the same ever since you and Camila split," Dinah frowned, and a pang of sadness rushed through Lauren's heart, "You were so happy with her, more alive than I've ever seen you before."

"Well, I guess that's over now," Lauren exhaled, avoiding eye contact.

"Have you guys spoken since," Dinah started, but then she interrupted herself, and obviously, Lauren knew what she was talking about.

Lauren nodded, admitting it to someone for the first time, "Last night I riled up the courage to talk to her, and she told me she wants to be just friends. What kind of bullshit is that?" Lauren whispered, her skin prickling up, remembering how sympathetic Camila had looked in the light of the hotel lamp.

Dinah rolled her eyes, "Don't let me waver your opinion, but you and Camila are made for each other, I'm sure of that. I've never seen two people click so easily and fall in love like they had been training for it their entire lives, even though you're both scared as hell," Dinah said, "You're going to get back together, I can feel it."

Lauren shrugged, "I can only hope," She commented, looking behind Dinah to see Ally balancing an assortment of drinks and pastries in her hands, "Here comes Ally."

"Hey, y'all," Ally greeted in her usually chipper voice, "I got all of us juice, and some snacks," Ally said, the soccer mom that resided in her heart becoming prevalent. Ally laid down the small containers of goods, consisting of miniature pies topped with strawberries and some sort of chocolate pudding parfait, "I haven't tried any of it yet, but if you want more of anything just let me know, I have the euros."

Reaching for a pecan sticky bun, Dinah glanced up to Lauren and uttered out, "Remember what I said, and then listen to yourself."

"What are you talking about?" Ally queried, a chunk of whipped cream resting on the tip of her nose.

Lauren grinned at her best friend's silliness, wiping the cream off daintily with her finger, "If it all works out, you'll know soon enough."

# ☾

The movie premiere was a huge success, reeling in French fans and the general public from all around. Lauren had a great time, spreading her red stained lips and letting her white teeth show for the first time in a while. Lauren adorned herself in a short, black long sleeved dress, similar to the one she wore to the first charity gala she attended with Camila. Everything else about Lauren was different though, from her tan to her newly trimmed hair, life had completely shifted in a different direction, even though it didn't seem that way. At that time, she and Camila had just declared their friendship, but then she was falling in love with Camila, and now she was heartbroken.

Interaction did become easier in France, though. When Lauren and Camila were forced to be photographed together, they smiled genuinely, putting their arms together like the friends they had claimed to be. But Lauren knew that friends didn't sleep in the same beds, and friends certainly didn't kiss each other. Throughout her lifetime, Lauren had heard that people said 'we can still be friends' after a break up, but she couldn't see a friendship working out when one person was still irrevocably in love with the other.

But at this point, Lauren would rather keep Camila as a friend than not have her at all.

They started out small, with Camila shooting Lauren a good morning text, wishing her a happy day. Lauren assumed that something was better than nothing, and they continued to talk through text, then they progressed to watching movies together, perched up on the same bed. Their shoulders would brush every once in a while, but that was about it. Lauren found herself yearning to lean into her new found friend, nuzzling her head into her thigh like she used to.

After participating in French interviews that morning, Lauren retreated back to her hotel room at about noon, ready to cool down and relax after her impromptu photo shoot session with her fans. Literally seconds after Lauren collapsed on her bed, her cell phone alerted her that she had an incoming text message.

Lauren's stomach fluttered when she saw the message was from Camila, and she swiped right, reading the text that filled her screen.

_camila_

_up for some sight seeing? - 12:11_

Lauren grinned down at the screen of her iPhone, and responded almost immediately.

_i'm in, let me change my clothes. meet me in the lobby in twenty minutes? - 12:12_

Camila replied with a thumbs up emoticon, and Lauren tossed her phone on her bed, quickly stripping off the robin egg blue lace blouse and white high waisted jeans. Lauren traded her fairly virginal attire for something a bit more edgy, settling with a pair of denim jeans, a leather jacket, and black t shirt underneath. Lauren fished out a tube of red lipstick from her purse, applying it over the residue of pink lip gloss that she had licked off throughout the day. Lauren left the rest of her makeup alone, since the winged eyeliner and nude eyeshadow fit her outfit, and grabbed the purse that was sprawled out on her bed.

With her hotel key placed between her fingers, Lauren exited her hotel room, leaving a 'do not disturb' sign swinging as she made her way to the elevator.

The lobby of the hotel was absolutely extravagant, decorated in hues of white and gold and marbled floors. Pillars held up the beautifully painted ceiling, which held several flowered chandeliers. Lauren took a seat in one of the several throne like chairs that were neatly scattered around the waiting area of the lobby. Lauren gazed passed the potted plant that sat next to her to the outside of the hotel, which held a plentiful garden full of greenery and other plant life.

In all honesty, France was too alluring to visit only once, and Lauren imagined coming back when she finally had some down time.

Camila disrupted her thoughts by approaching Lauren, her hands clasped on her over the shoulder purse. Lauren glanced over Camila, suddenly thinking that the girl was even more beautiful than France, but she quickly dismissed that thought, because they were supposed to be friends and nothing more.

"Hey, you," Lauren greeted, standing up from the chair.

"Hey," Camila smiled, pulling a map out of her purse, "We need to see everything, and I mean everything. Thanks for coming with me, by the way," Camila said, handing Lauren a folded up map.

Lauren took it, "No problem," She said, unfolding the map, which was upside down, "So where do we start?"

"The question isn't where do we start, it's where do we end." Camila corrected, closing toward Lauren, letting their shoulders brush together as she leaned into the map, "Are you hungry? I'm hungry, let's go out for lunch, at like, a super fancy restaurant," Camila suggested.

"Okay," Lauren obliged, and then they were off.

# ☾

Right before their eyes, the sun began to set into a beautiful orange and pink haze, and eventually it sank all together, leaving the dim light sky lit with millions of tiny stars. The warm air had settled down to a lovely breeze, rolling over the streets of France. The city lights had flickered on, and mindless chatter filled the love struck air. Even though two of the biggest celebrities were roaming the winding roads of France, the fans seemed to simmer down and appreciate their presence rather than bombarding them with attention.

Though this was a bit surprising, since sight seeing was the biggest interaction Lauren and Camila had since their blow out. Sure, they were closer at the French 'Girl Meets Girl' premiere, but this seemed like an actual date, even though Camila wanted them to be just friends.

Lauren couldn't help but want so much more when she met eyes with Camila, getting lost in the swirls of caramel and cold coffee colors that bloomed in Camila's irises. Lauren pined to brush her fingers across Camila's forearm, indulging in how soft her skin felt across her tainted fingertips. Throughout the day, Lauren found herself staring at Camila's lips, wondering if they still tasted like Lauren's cherry chap stick and fruity bubblegum.

After Camila and Lauren had went on a haul at a local store, Camila called one of her body guards, politely asking if they could take their items back to Camila's hotel room. The bodyguard obliged, meeting them inside of the shop about fifteen minutes later, giving them special time to interact with a few strangers who had recognized them. In that time period, Lauren received a text message from Ally, informing her that '#CamrenIsBack' was topping the trending topics chart. Lauren frowned at this, because while she and Camila were friends, Camren definitely wasn't back in full force.

"Where to now?" Camila asked, flipping her hair over the shoulder of her black and white striped top.

Suddenly, Lauren remembered what Ally had told her about her trip to France with Troy, and how they had gotten up close and personal with the Eiffel Tower, photographing themselves underneath it.

"Let's go to the main attraction, the Eiffel Tower," Lauren suggested, nodding forward toward the monument, which looked as tall as Lauren from where they were standing.

Camila's mouth fell agape, "Do you think we could make it in time?"

"Sure, why not?" Lauren asked, taking Camila by the hand, "Come on, we need to start running," Lauren said, tugging Camila's arm and taking off in a full sprint.

They weaved through the crowded streets of Paris, giggling as water dripped from their eyes from the traction of the wind. Lauren never wanted to let go of Camila's hand, because when she let go the last time, she didn't get to touch or feel her for almost two months. The pair bumped into every person and object on the way, but they never one let their fingers drift from each other's grasp.

Eventually they made it there, panting and heaving in the sea of people that were impatiently waiting in line to venture into one of the most iconic landmarks to ever exist. Camila gripped Lauren's shoulder, grinning up at the girl with the lights of the Tower gleaming in her eyes.

"I can't believe we're here, it's so beautiful up close," Camila gushed, her eyes rapidly shifting to take in the sight.

Lauren wanted to blurt out 'you're so beautiful up close', but something inside stopped her, and she hid her feelings away in the pit of her tummy.

The line moved quickly, and when the ticket keeper caught sight of Camila and Lauren, he gasped, rushing them through immediately without pay. Lauren always found this special treatment odd because she was someone who accumulated so many free objects despite having so much money.

Camila and Lauren tacked behind a tour group, quietly laughing and smiling like it was their last day on Earth. Being with Camila again made the blood in Lauren's veins rush a bit faster, made her heartbeat thump quicker. Lauren couldn't believe that she didn't try harder to hold on to Camila, to not let go, but then she remembered all those texts and phone calls, obsessing over her former lover. But she was in love, and it made her seem crazy, and now, she felt whimsical, because it felt like that void never happened.

"Did you know there's a restaurant here?" Camila queried, whispering to Lauren.

Lauren shook her head, "Nope, we should go to it."

Camila grinned, nodding, "We can do that after we sneak onto the third floor," Camila suggested, piquing her eyebrow in such a suggestive way that Lauren's stomach did a somersault. 

"How would we do that?" Lauren asked.

Grabbing her hand, Camila responded, "Follow me."

Escaping from the crowd, Camila dragged Lauren over to an elevator, which was lined with red rope. They ducked under the velvet rope when no one was paying attention, and they piled into the elevator, Camila slamming on the button that would take them to the third floor. A classical tune of piano music filled the silence of the elevator, and thankfully, the journey didn't take that long.

The elevator doors opened to reveal the top floor of the Eiffel Tower, which oversaw the entire city of Paris. Along with the shining stars, the area was illuminated by small glass lanterns, showing off potted plants full of cherry red flowers and a single table with a set of chairs sitting in front of a golden telescope.

Lauren furrowed her eyebrows together, turning her head to face Camila so quickly she thought she'd developed whiplash, "What is all of this?"

Camila grinned, baring her white teeth, "A surprise, for you. Did you really think I can't tell that you're still in love with me? Your eyes hold a thousand galaxies when we're even in the same vicinity," Camila gushed, grabbing Lauren's dainty hand, "It still baffles me how you actually believed that I wanted to be just friends, you're my soul mate, Lauren, I'm sure of it," Camila admitted, her cheeks flushing a lovely pink.

"When did you plan this?" Lauren inquired, glazing her eyes over how beautiful the city of Paris looked from such great heights.

Shrugging, Camila answered, "When I opened my hotel room door and saw you standing on the other side, in your cute little pajamas with your adorable hopeful smile. I know I fucked up, and if I'm being honest, I think I was looking for a reason to escape. I'm so scared of being in love, Lauren, but now I've realized that you've got my back now, and we're going to climb the mountains and succeed," Camila cascaded, bringing a hand up to caress Lauren's warm cheek.

"You're still in love with me," Lauren stated for confirmation.

"How could I not be in love with you?" Camila answered, "You supply the sunshine in my veins, those months without you were so dark, and it was all my fault. I ran away because I would literally reach into the sky and fetch a star for you if you had asked, and that right there, scares the hell out of me," Camila finished.

Lauren beamed larger than she ever had before, "I'm so fucking in love with you."

Camila blushed, but then changed the subject, "Come here, let's look out the telescope, there's something I want to show you."

Obliging, Lauren followed Camila over to the golden telescope, which shone brightly in the light of the moon. Camila let Lauren bring the glass of the telescope up to her eye, and then she shifted it toward a man down below, holding a large camera.

"You're showing me a paparazzi?" Lauren asked, her facial expression retreating into confusion.

Camila giggled, "No silly, he's down there so he can photograph this," Camila said, brushing her fingers under Lauren's chin to close the distance between them.

For the first time in months, Lauren's lips met Camila's glossy and puffy ones, indulging in pure innocent love. The kiss was sweet and slow, bringing the couple together again for the first time in forever. Metaphorical fireworks exploded in Lauren's tongue, and a sea of satisfaction washed over her entire body as she reunited with the one thing she had ever lost.

Lauren pulled back, the extreme amount of joy causing her to laugh, "I love you," Lauren admitted once again.

"You already said that," Camila responded, giving Lauren a peck on the cheek.

"I can't stop saying it, and I never want to stop telling you I love you. I have to make up for lost time," Lauren answered, returning the favor by kissing Camila on the forehead.

"Then don't," Camila replied, leaning forward and kissing Lauren again, at the top of the Eiffel Tower. Lauren kept her word, because for the rest of eternity, Lauren never forgot to remind Camila that she was the equivalent to the stars that shone over the city streets of Paris.

Falling in love with Camila was something that Lauren could never forget, and something that she never wanted to.

_j'ai fini._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love you for reading this far, thank you, it means so much to have my voice and my stories to be heard. I love you, like Lauren, I cannot say it enough. Special thanks to Just_angela and AncientTide for their great feedback, I appreciate it!

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave kudos and a comment if you enjoyed !


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